The 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety “Achieving Global Goals 2030” is currently taking place (19–20 February, 2020) in Stockholm, Sweden.
Hosted by the Government of Sweden and co-hosted by WHO, the Ministerial Conference will be an opportunity for delegates to share successes and lessons from implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020, chart future strategic directions for global road safety, and define ways to accelerate action on proven strategies. The Ministerial Conference will also provide an opportunity to link road safety to other sustainability challenges.
Road safety is an urgent health and development matter. The number of deaths on the world’s roads remains unacceptably high, with an estimated 1.35 million people killed each year. In addition, as many as 50 million people are injured. Road traffic crashes are the eighth leading cause of death globally for people of all ages, and the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years. Road traffic deaths and injuries shatter lives and throw families into poverty. On average, they cost countries 3% of their GDP.
The Ministerial Conference has around 1500 delegates, including ministers of transport, health and interior from Member States; senior officials from UN agencies; and representatives from civil society, academia and the private sector. The Chairman’s conclusions or the “Stockholm Declaration” will be adopted by Member States prior to the Ministerial Conference, and will likely call for, among others, a new global target for road safety for 2030, a High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Road Safety in 2022, and a set of innovative solutions to save lives on the world’s roads.
Today — February 19 — the day began with an opening statement from His Majesty the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.
For more information on Day One events and addresses, click here.
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Main source: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2020/02/19/default-calendar/3rd-global-ministerial-conference-on-road-safety