Why the High-level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety Matters on the Ground

In June 2022, the President of the 76th General Assembly convened the first ever High-level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety. Its theme was 2030 horizon for road safety: securing a decade of action and delivery. As such, the meeting was an important barometer for national governments’ political will to halve road deaths and injuries by 2030.

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety analysed the key outcomes of the meeting: the political declaration (A/RES/76/294) and the plenary statements made by member states.

The political declaration was compared against the Stockholm Declaration and A/RES/74/299 which declared the Decade of Action. Comparative to these documents, the analysis noted stronger action-based language for governments to put in place national strategies and targets and implement a Safe System approach and includes three mandated checkpoints for progress on the Decade of Action in 2023, 2025, and 2026. However, it lacks commitment to domestic government funding and civil society participation found in the previous documents. Read the full analysis of the political declaration HERE.

73 statements were made by member states and the European Union. 25 (34%) statements mentioned that the Member State was or would be implementing a Safe System approach. However, key specifics aligned to the Safe System were missing. 23 (32%) statements mentioned speed management and only four (5%) mentioned 30 km/h limits, versus 37 (51%) statements that mentioned road user education and 36 (49%) statements that mentioned user behaviour. This indicates that implementation of a true safe system, which takes the burden off personal responsibility and onto the system, may be less advanced than implied. 60 (82%) statements mentioned a national strategy. 40 (55%) statements mentioned a specific national road death reduction target. A further 22 (30%) referred to the target set out in the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 (Global Plan) or the Political Declaration. Yet only 15 (21%) of statements mentioned investment in road safety, and, of these, only four mentioned a specific figure. An evidence-based strategy, ambitious target, and appropriate funding reflect political will. Read the full analysis of the statements HERE.