Statement on the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting

Today, UN Member States will adopt the political declaration of the High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety (High-level Meeting). As representatives for civil society, we welcome the political declaration. We are especially encouraged that this has been a negotiated document, implying the involvement and commitment of all our countries and paving the way for political will to achieve the 2030 target. We congratulate the President of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly for achieving this outcome under difficult political circumstances.

In particular, we welcome that the Declaration prioritizes implementation of the Safe System approach, requiring a whole-system approach to road safety that puts people, not vehicles, at its center. To meaningfully implement the Safe System, governments must invest in actions that are based on data and evidence and involve diverse communities, including youth, NGOs, women, people with disabilities, and others, to design actions that reflect the way they use the roads and ensures access to education, work, and the choices that enable any individual to achieve their maximum potential. We are therefore disappointed that the Declaration lacks firm commitments for national governments to invest appropriate, dedicated budgets for road safety, and to meaningfully involve NGOs, youth, overlooked groups including women and people with disabilities, and other community partners in decision-making.

For this Political Declaration to be meaningful and effective, Member States must take the principles outlined in the Declaration and immediately commit to:

1. Implement clear, specific evidence-based actions that are consistent with the Global Plan, starting with 30 km/h limits where people move, live, and play, and defining roles and accountabilities, utilizing existing frameworks, such as the Global Road Safety Performance Targets;
2. Prioritize comprehensive government funding, incorporating coordination of bi-lateral and development funding, with annual reporting on implementation of national road safety strategies that cover all aspects of the Safe System, and ensure that the safety of all road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists, are a mandatory component of all road transport and infrastructure investments^[1];
3. Engage with stakeholders and involve communities, represented by NGOs, youth, overlooked groups, including women and people with disabilities, and other community partners, in road safety, transport, and infrastructure planning, decision-making, and implementation;
4. Demonstrate accountability at regional, national, and global levels. We are encouraged that the Declaration outlines progress reporting (at the 78th and 80th UN General Assemblies and a second High-level Meeting to be held in 2026) to maintain momentum and accountability toward the 2030 target. We encourage the UN General Assembly to include progress reporting on funding commitments and investment in road safety as a key element at these sessions.

There are just 3,106 days until the end of the Decade of Action 2021-2030 by which UN Member States have committed to reduce road deaths and injuries by 50%. There is enough time to achieve this target, but no time to waste. This is the moment when decision makers must demonstrate their serious commitment and take bold action to achieve the 2030 target.

Read the political declaration HERE.

^[1]To the technical standards set out in the Global Road Safety Performance Targets 3 and 4: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/un-road-safety-collaboration/targets-and-indicators-visual-clean.pdf?sfvrsn=29627bde_5