Left: Mrs Dr Luciana Iorio, Chair of the WP.1 UN Global Road Safety Forum; middle: Mr. Hiroaki Funami, IMMA board member and on the right, Mr. Takeshi Ibaraki, chairman of IMMA Road Safety Working Group
After the welcome by Ms Luciana Iorio, organiser of the event and chairperson of the WP.1 Global Forum, opening statements were made by Ms. Olga Algayerova, UNECE Executive Secretary and Mr. Jean Todt, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety. Mr. Denis Zagarin, reminded that his country, the Russian Federation had organised the first Global Conferences on road safety in 2009 and gave an overview of road safety activities progress made in the Russian Federation.
As next keynote speaker, IMMA’s Road Safety Working Group Chairman Takeshi Ibaraki-san shared the global industry’s perspective on motorcycle safety towards 2030. ‘Safety education and training is the most important and effective measure to reduce accidents for motorcycle users. I invite stakeholders to support accelerating the availability of accessible, effective and affordable training, especially in Low- and Medium-Income Countries’ said Mr Ibaraki during his presentation.
The session continued with exchanges on diverse issues of high priority on the agenda of WP.1. The experts addressed the progress on automated driving and Intelligent Transport Systems policy, regulation development and research. Attention was also given to the safety of Vulnerable Road Users and Road Safety in Low- and Medium-Income Countries. Lastly, outlooks were given on trends on New, Accessible and Shared Mobility and the integration of Road safety into Sustainable Development Goals.
The presentations can be found here.
The WP.1 Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety is the permanent body in the United Nations system focusing on improving road safety. It serves as guardian of the United Nations legal instruments aimed at harmonizing traffic rules. Many countries across the world have become Contracting Parties to these legal instruments and benefit from their implementation. The UNECE also supports the development and promotion of best road safety practices and the organization of road safety weeks and other awareness raising events. Participation in Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety (WP.1) is open to all countries across the world.
The WP.1 conference on 18 February 2020 was registered as an official pre-event to the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. Hosted and organised by the Government of Sweden and World Health Organisation, the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety took place on 19–20 February 2020 in Stockholm.