Objective and brief summary of the project:

Road fatalities and injuries are a challenge to development and health worldwide. With 1.3 million people killed on the road every year, it ranks as the eighth leading cause of death globally. Most importantly, road crashes are the leading cause of death for young people aged 5 to 29. Almost 90% of road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), affecting the most vulnerable communities. Solutions exist to address this major public health challenge. Road deaths and injuries are predictable and preventable. However, so anchored in our daily lives, road crashes suffer from a lack of consideration, and we need augmented action and awareness to tackle the invisible pandemic on our roads. The United Nations has invested significantly in tackling the problem of road safety globally.  Following the “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020”, the UN General Assembly in August 2020 adopted a resolution on “Improving Road Safety”, that reconfirmed its commitment to halving the number of global traffic deaths and injuries and to providing access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all by 2030. To galvanize intersectoral actions and to raise the visibility of road safety, the UN Secretary-General, appointed the first-ever Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr. Jean Todt in 2015. Among other objectives, the Special Envoy works to build innovative partnerships with all stakeholders, including the private sector.