The Zambia Road Safety Trust members are attending the biannual Fifth Global Meeting of Nongovernmental Organizations Advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 1st – 7th April 2017.
The Global Meeting was officially opened on the 5th April 2017 by Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysian Minister of Transport. The Minister discussed the road safety environment in Malaysia and heralded the Malaysia Declaration demonstrating the commitment of the NGOs.
The Global Meeting is organized by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance), and the Ministry of Transport of Malaysia, and hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO). More than 200 road safety NGOs and stakeholders from 70-plus countries renewed their commitment to enabling governments and communities to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020.
Every year, 1.25 million people die as a result of traffic crashes—greater than the entire population of Cyprus. More people die from road traffic crashes than from malaria and tuberculosis and are the main cause of death globally among those aged 15–29. While Zambia has more than 2100 people killed every year in Road Traffic, a fatality rate increase of over 100 percent in the past five years alone.
NGOs are key partners in achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 50% by the year 2020.
Alliance member NGOs are critical to tackling road carnage in multiple ways. They can activate communities to engage with the cause, identify local problems and speak up for the solutions. They can raise awareness by speaking out in the media and countering any local opposition to the implementation of road safety laws, policies and their enforcement, and provide valuable insights and information during governmental consultation processes, for example relating to road building or alternate sustainable mobility solutions. They also often provide support for road crash victims and knowledge-building programs within institutions such as schools and companies.
Daniel Mwamba Chairman for the Zambia Road Safety Trust said:
“Attending this meeting and among the best brains in the World on Road Safety opens up more opportunities, knowledge and partnership for ZRST to tackle road carnage in Zambia, as traffic crashes emerge to be the second cause of death in Zambia behind HIV/AIDS”.
The Zambia Road Safety Trust is thanking the Alliance and the WHO Zambia office for support to attend the Global meeting.
NGO yama Rat and Vinkubala eaters only – no shame sure!! Ati Edward Phiri (ZRST Secretary), Daniel Mwamba (ZRST Chairman), Lotte Brondum (Executive Director), Miles Mwale and Paul Mwanza (ZRST members). KKKKK awe sure!!