EDITORIAL
Dear Reader,
We are very pleased to share with you the last issue of the IRF CROSSROADS newsletter before the summer break.
As you will be able to read, innovation, road safety and digitalization are high in our agenda and will continue to be so over the next months. The autumn will see quite a number of key milestones for our sector with the launch of the new Decade of Action Plan, the UN Sustainable Transport Conference and the COP26. The IRF Annual conference will be hosted on 20-21 October and will focus on innovation and help us charting pathways to a sustainable mobility.
Our commitment and attention to low and-middle-income countries remains high and you’ll be able to read in this issue about the recent report we delivered together with the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety as well as about our capacity building activities with the LEARN project in Africa. Also, in line with our active involvement in the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) initiative, we are very pleased to support the very first SuM4All course on Sustainable Mobility in September.
Wishing you good reading and resting summer holidays to everyone!
Best wishes 
Susanna Zammataro
Director General
IRF Executives Talks with Dan Chen – 3M Transportation Safety Division
IRF Executives Talks are a series of 30-minutes to get insights from CEOs and High-Level Executives of the world’s most innovative and influential companies and organisation from our industry. On 13 July we will host the next edition of the series with our guest Dan Chen, President at 3M’s Transportation Safety Division.
Innovation: Charting Pathways to Sustainable Mobility
IRF will be hosting a two-day online conference on 20 and 21 October to discuss innovative ways to fulfil the need of building new roads, maintaining, upgrading and operating the existing road network, while aligning these actions with the provisions of the Paris Agreement -targeting lower greenhouse gases – and those of the SDGs looking at an equitable, safe and sustainable mobility for all.
2021 World Transport Convention (WTC)
Under the theme “New Technologies, New modes and New Transport” 2021 WTC took place on 15 – 19 June. IRF President Mr Bill Halkias joined key transport stakeholders during the opening ceremony to discuss on the future of transport.
LEARN Project Kicks Off in Uganda
The LEARN Project was introduced in Uganda during a two-day workshop held virtually on 22 – 23 June 2021. The workshop was organised by IRF and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety under the theme “Partnerships for Road Safety Data”.
WRS Sponsorship Opportunities
The World Road Statistics have been published by IRF since 1964. The 2021 edition covering data from 2014-2019 will be published mid-September and is looking for its new sponsors willing to get global exposure to peers, potential clients and business partners.
Mobilising Private Sector Capital for Road Safety
The IRF convened on 10 June an interactive workshop with road concessionaires and other key stakeholders on mobilising private sector capital for road safety. The workshop supports a World Bank Group iniative being implemented in partnership with the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
ASECAP 2021 Road Safety Conference
On 22 June, IRF President Mr Bill Halkias joined a high-level interactive discussion with other policymakers and stakeholders at ASECAP’s 2021 Road Safety Conference. Hosted by MEP Giuseppe’s Ferrandino, this year’s theme was “Building a wide road safety culture to reach Vision Zero goal”.
Safe and Healthy Streets: Recording Now Available
The 2021 Movin’On Summit took place on 1 – 4 June. IRF contributed to different sessions including the announcement of a new community of interest on Safe and Healthy Streets and a special working session led under the umbrella of SuM4All. The recording of IRF’s Community Announcement is now available.
Digital Toolkit for Energy and Mobility Released
IRF contributed to the “Digital Toolkit for Energy and Mobility” under the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) umbrella. The toolkit presents a discourse on some of the best practices to achieve energy efficiency in transport through the lens of three policies, to elaborate a Global Roadmap of Action.
Report Released: Africa’s Response to COVID-19
The International Road Federation and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety joined forces and thanks to support from the HVT Programme have published a report assessing the impact of responses to COVID-19 on transport and mobility in seven countries in Africa: Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.
IRF Session on Digitalisation: Recording Now Available
On 19 May, IRF held a session during the 2021 ITF Summit on the Digitalisation of Road Infrastructure. The session counted with the participation of EU Transport Commissioner, Adina Vălean, and representatives from EIB, ADB, IBM, Holcim, and Highways England. The recording of the session and all resources from the summit are now available.
UN Road Safety Fund 2020 Report Now Available
The 2020 UNRSF Report provides a general overview of their activities, which spanned the 5 pillars of the Global Framework Plan of Action for Road Safety. Among the projects launched last year, we find the “Ten Steps Plan for Safer Infrastructure in Tanzania” of which IRF is a partner.
SuM4All Course on Sustainable Mobility
IRF is proud to support the SuM4All partnership on its next four-module course to be held on 14, 21, 28 September, and 5 October 2021. Under the theme “Sustainable Mobility Requires a New Policy Approach Today” the course will serve as a knowledge exchange space for decision-makers and stakeholders in the transport sector.
Introducing IRF’s Communications Officer
We are proud to announce that Agostina Massarini has recently joined the IRF Team as Communications Officer. Agostina was born in Argentina but lives in Europe since 2016. With a background in Languages and Communication, she has experience working for different international NGOs and the smart mobility sector.
IRF India Chapter 5th Webinar
“Engineering Measures & Funding for Road Safety” was the subject of the 5th Webinar of the series of IRF India Chapter held on 1 June. The webinar was moderated by IRF President Mr Bill Halkias, who shared insights on road safety, highlighting the need of redesigning road infrastructure and guiding drivers’ behaviour to reduce road accident fatalities.
IRF India Chapter to collaborate on building the safest highways in India
IRF India Chapter will collaborate with the Indian government to make the Bunderlkhand Expressway the safest four-lane highway in the country. IRF India Chapter plans to undertake a comprehensive study and measures based on 4E’s (Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Emergency care).
Uber and Australian Government at 2021 ARRB Symposium
Integrated Mobility Impacts 2021 is the theme of the 2021 ARRB Symposium to be held Melbourne from 17 – 19 November. High-profile speakers from Uber, the government and the public sector have been locked in to share their insight into the future of integrated mobility at the event.
SWARCO hosted IRF DG at Innovation Talk
On 1 July, IRF Director General, Susanna Zammataro, was invited to join the discussion on “How will we get around in 2035?” at SWARCO’s Innovation Talk. The event was organised by the SWARCO Innovation Hub, a novel initiative to foster the ties between different stakeholders with the goal of shaping together future mobility.
YOURS and TotalEnergies Foundation Launch the #ArtforRoadSafety Challenge
Being held in Egypt, Uganda and Senegal the purpose of the challenge is to change behaviours and make young people realise that they too have an individual responsibility as road users, encouraging them to become local ambassadors in the most creative ways.
NTUA – Road Safety Simulation International Conference
Together with the Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers (HITE), the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) organises the 8th Road Safety & Simulation International Conference 2022 which will be held on 8-10 June 2022 in Athens, Greece. The Conference’s theme will be : “Road Safety and Digitalisation”.
2021 Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2021)
05 – 07 July 2021 – Pretoria, South Africa
IRF Executives Talks with Dan Chen
13 July 2021 – Online
7th IRF India-Chapter Webinar – Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for Road Safety
28 July 2021 – Online
Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference
14 – 16 October 2021 – Beijing, China
IRF Annual Conference 2021 – Innovation: Charting Pathways to Sustainable Mobility
20 – 21 October 2021 – Virtual
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