Alliance online session on Marrakech Declaration and commitment analysis

The Alliance held an online session to present findings of its analysis of the Marrakech Declaration and commitments made by governments during the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety (Ministerial Conference), and how to use it as a strategic advocacy tool.

The session explored how NGOs can advocate for the integration of key elements from the commitments and the declaration—particularly those related to evidence-based interventions and the Safe System approach—into road safety strategies, action plans, policies, and guidelines, and push for their direct implementation. 

The declaration and commitment analysis presents a practical advocacy tool for NGOs.

Highlights from the session

During the session, approaches on using the Marrakech Declaration for advocacy were shared. While advocating, NGOs should:

• Pinpoint key elements in the Declaration—such as promises, recognitions, and considerations—especially those that refer to evidence-based interventions and the Safe System approach;
• Ensure these ideas are not left on paper but are integrated into road safety strategies, action plans, policies, and guidelines and pushed into direct implementation; and
• Advocate for stronger NGO engagement.

For the commitment analysis, NGOs can take the following steps:

1. Congratulate: If your government publicly made a commitment during the Ministerial Conference, congratulate them for doing so. Encourage transparency and detailed reporting from government actors.
2. Clarify and improve: If your government did not publicly make a commitment, ask them why and their plans for meeting Global Plan targets. Seek clarity and evidence-base in their commitments and advise on improvements using the commitment analysis as a guide.
3. Follow up: Send a follow up email to remind them of their commitments, the conversations you had with them during the Conference and what actions they can take. If you have a picture with them, send it to them as a friendly reminder of who you are.
4. Ask and track: Use the commitment and Declaration analysis, Mobility Snapshots, Helmet phite paper, and/or Accountability Toolkit to help you craft your asks. Use the Accountability Tracker to track.
5. Record and share: Have a record of the commitments, track their progress, and hold them accountable for implementation. Keep records of your follow up activities, update any changes in the Accountability Tracker, and be ready to share your experiences in Alliance sessions.

Using the analysis to anchor advocacy ensures that NGOs are not asking for new commitments but calling for delivery on promises already made.