DUSHANBE, November 16, 2009, Asia-Plus — On November 19-20, the Government of the Russian Federation hosts the First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
Requested by the UN General Assembly, the event represents a historic opportunity to make progress on tackling a leading cause of death and disability. As many as 1000 government ministers; representatives of UN agencies; officials from civil society organizations; leaders of private companies; and many other road safety experts will attend.
Participants will draw attention to the need for action to address the large and growing global impact of road traffic crashes; review progress on implementation of the World report on road traffic injury prevention; and share information and good practices on road safety. It is anticipated that participants will issue a clear call for a Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.
In April 2004, the United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES58/289 on “Improving global road safety” invited WHO, working in close cooperation with the United Nations regional commissions, to act as coordinator on road safety issues across the United Nations system.
