Effort builds on collaboration of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP), extending to work with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - 14 November 2014 (ECA) - The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) organized a two-day workshop aimed at raising awareness of international road safety instruments,reducing drink driving across the African continent, and implementing the African Road Safety Action Plan.
With more than 1.3 million people killed on roads every year, road safety crisis in the world has reached an alarming magnitude. However, there are proven means of increasing road safety and reducing fatalities. They are embodied in the UN international agreements and conventions on transportation which set standards such as the safety standard level car manufacturers must meet, or what minimum safety requirements are needed to ship hazardous chemicals. The first day of the two day workshop focused on educating decision makers about these conventions, as well as reviewing the progress of the implementation of the African Road Safety Action Plan.
The second day was focused on addressing alcohol-related road traffic crashes involving vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. It will focus on increasing the awareness of government officials about existing UN road safety legal instruments and effective approaches to preventing drink driving.
The workshop is a significant step forward in engaging governments in a discussion of international road safety legal frameworks, best practices and how they may be effectively implemented.
The Addis Ababa workshop is an extension of a broader cooperation between ICAP and UNECE to increase the awareness of government officials in regions outside of Europe about the UN road safety legal instruments and effective approaches to preventing drink driving
"Together with UN member states the UNECE secretariat has been relentlessly working to elaborate legal and technical standards in three main areas of road safety: infrastructure, vehicles, and road user's behavior," said Eva Molnar, Director, Transport Division, UNECE. "Simply said, through our work, we strive to facilitate the creation of a globally harmonized road traffic system - the system that enhances safety for all road users."
"Many African nations are particularly hard-hit by road traffic crashes as an unfortunate consequence of otherwise positive rapid economic growth," said Stephen Karingi, Director, Regional Integration and Trade Division, ECA."Governments and transportation stakeholders have a critical role to play in reducing road crashes, and effectively implementing the African Road Safety Action Plan as well as UN road safety instruments and other international good practice here in Africa."
"We are proud to collaborate with both UNECE and ECA to encourage practical, hands-on solutions to alcohol-related road crashes," said Brett Bivans, Senior Vice President, ICAP. "The UN legal instruments are powerful tools for improving road safety. It is our hope that our combined resources, including UN networks and partners, will contribute to advancing the objectives of the UN Decade of Road Safety, particularly in Africa."
Following the event, a report will be shared about the breadth of issues addressed during the trainings.This will be the second joint publication from ICAP and the UNECE on the issues of alcohol and road safety, following the 2013 release of Regional Perspectives on Preventing Alcohol-Related Road Crashes Involving Vulnerable Road Users.
Road traffic injuries are among the three leading causes of death worldwide for people between 5 and 44 years of age, and the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-29. The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety calls for increased action at the national, regional and global levels in service to the UN's goal of stabilizing, and then reducing, the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world.
For editors:
The International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP; www.icap.org) is a not-for-profit organization supported by major international producers of beverage alcohol. Established in 1995, ICAP's mission is to promote understanding of the role of alcohol in society and to help reduce harmful drinking worldwide. ICAP's efforts to foster dialogue and partnerships in the alcohol policy field are shaped by its commitment to pragmatic and feasible solutions to reducing harm that can be tailored to local and cultural considerations and needs. ICAP has been recognized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) as a non-governmental organization in Special Consultative Status.
Read more about the efforts of major international alcohol producers through Global Actions at www.global-actions.org and on Facebook. To learn more about ICAP, please visit www.icap.org.
1519 New Hampshire Avenue, NW ● Washington, D.C. 20036 USA
Tel: +1.202.986.1159 ● Fax: +1.202.986.2080 ● www.icap.org
For inquiries about ICAP, please contact:
Susan Biemsderfer, Vice President of Communications
susanb[at]icap[dot]org +1 (310) 387-3172
For inquires about the UNECE, please contact:
Ms. Rebecca Huang, UNECE Transport Division
rebecca.huang[at]unece[dot]org + 41 22 917 12 86
For inquiries about ECA, please contact:
Mr. Robert Lisinge, ECA Regional Integration and Trade Division
tlisinge[at]ECA[dot]org +251 11 5443 443
Background info:
UNECE's Working Party on Road Traffic Safety (WP.1) is the only permanent intergovernmental body in the United Nations system that focuses on improving road safety. The Conventions on Road Traffic of 1949 and 1968 and on Roads Signs and Signals of 1968, and other UN legal instruments administered by UNECE address the main factors of road crashes such as road user behaviour, vehicles and infrastructure.
Many countries around the world have become Contracting Parties to these instruments and benefit from their implementation. The Contracting Parties are also the key driving forces to keeping these international road safety conventions up-to-date.
Conventions on Road Traffic of 1949 and of 1968, Convention on Road Signs and Signals of 1968:These international legal instruments contain a set of internationally agreed road traffic regulations, road signs, signals and markings, uniform safety requirements for motor vehicles and other internationally acceptable regulations, aimed at improving the efficiency and safety of international road traffic. They are regularly revised and updated. These legal instruments provide Governments with the legal basis and technical rules and regulations for their national highway codes.
The Agreement concerning the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be fitted and/or be used on Wheeled Vehicles and the Conditions for Reciprocal Recognition of Approvals granted on the Basis of these Prescriptions of 1958 provides Governments with a legal framework and procedures for the adoption of uniform technical regulations applicable to road vehicles, their equipment and parts, with a view to the improvement of their safety and environmental performance, the facilitation of international road traffic and the removal of technical barriers to the international trade of such vehicles. The agreement establishes the principle of the reciprocal recognition of the approvals granted according to those uniform regulations thereby avoiding the repetition of statutory controls of compliance with regulations prior to marketing of road vehicles.
The Agreement concerning the Establishing of Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be fitted and/or be used on Wheeled Vehicles of 1998 provides Governments with a legal framework and procedures for the adoption of global technical regulations applicable to road vehicles, their equipment and parts, with a view to the improvement of their safety, environmental protection, energy efficiency and anti-theft performance.
The European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) provides for uniform norms and requirements aimed at providing a high level of safety of international transport of dangerous goods by road. It identifies and classifies dangerous substances and articles and sets out uniform specific provisions for the various classes of such substances as well as for the transport equipment to be used for their carriage and for the necessary transport operations.
