The Alliance is proud to report that two Round the World Roundtables have taken place in South America this week, with commitments from national governments signed and handed to Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety. The commitments were handed over using the same baton as seen in at the first Round the World Roundtable in Vietnam in April, symbolizing a relay of commitment to road safety around the world.
Round the World Roundtables are a platform for governments to demonstrate leadership in road safety by committing to tangible, trackable actions. The roundtables are part of the #CommitToAct campaign that encourages leaders to commit to putting people first in road safety and acting to save lives on the roads in their countries.
On Friday 2 August 2019, Fundación CAVAT organized a Round the World Roundtable in Quito, Ecuador. Alongside Jean Todt, the roundtable was attended by Álvaro Guzmán Jaramillo, Executive Director of the National Road Safety Agency (ANT); Iván Carvallo, Vice Minister of Transportation; and Paul Hernández, Secretary of Transportation. The commitment stated the intention of government agencies — including the ministries of Transportation and Public Works, Interior, Tourism, and Public Health, plus the transit authorities, municipalities, police, and judicial system — to work together to improve road safety awareness in the country.
On Monday 5 August 2019, two roundtables were held in Bogotá, Colombia. This was a significant opportunity for both the executive and legislative powers to give their commitment to act for child safety. At both roundtables, the same commitment was signed. The commitment, which Mary Bottagisio, of Colombian Alliance member Por la Via Por la Vida, had a key role in helping to draft, promised:
The first roundtable was held in the Salones de Estado del Palacio de San Carlos, Bogotá, Colombia, and hosted by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The Minister for Transport, Ángela María Orozco — alongside the Ministers of Transportation, Health and Social Protection, and Education; the Directors of the National Road Safety Agency, Traffic and Transportation Directorate of the National Police; and the Representative of the Road Safety Business Committee — handed the commitment to child road safety over to Jean Todt.
The second roundtable, held at the Senate, was organized by Por la Via Por la Vida. It was also attended by Jean Todt, who this time received commitment from the President of the Senate and other senators, including the President of the Infrastructure Commission and the President of the Health Commission.
The commitments, which were handed over will be collated and taken to the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Sweden 2020.
More Round the World Roundtables are planned in the coming months, passing the baton to more continents. Read more about the Round the World Roundtables HERE.
