26-27 November 2018, Johannesburg, South Africa - UNITAR in collaboration with eThekwini Municipality, the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Durban (CIFAL Durban) and AB InBev, hosted the two-day “Road Safety Africa Conference” in Johannesburg.

These road traffic–related deaths and injuries have unparalleled health and socioeconomic implications on society, particularly in areas with such high rates of death and injury. Given this, United Nations member states have set the goal of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 percent by the year 2020 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, UNITAR, alongside private and public sector partners, has committed to strengthening government officials’ and key stakeholders’ capacities to improve road safety through concrete and targeted interventions.

Members of the Global City Pilot Steering Committee At the “Road Safety Africa Conference,” senior government authorities, private sector executives, academics, international organizations’ representatives, road safety experts and civil society leaders gatheredto exchange knowledge and best practices to improve road safety, leading to collaboration on and implementation of targeted interventions in the African region. The event also sought to empower government officials by providing them with the technical know-how and management skills to implement interventions that improve road safety, as well as mobilize stakeholders from different sectors to support road safety interventions in the region.

To support ongoing efforts, UNITAR introduced the “Network of Universities on Road Safety” initiative during the Conference. This initiative aims to provide a platform to promote research into road safety and exchange best practices while contributing to the development of policy proposals and road safety strategies. UNITAR’s objective is to leverage this Network’s academic expertise to assist government officials in developing multi-stakeholder strategies and interventions in support of road safety.

The Network is comprised of universities from around the world that have expertise on road safety related areas. Members of the Network will meet annually in the framework of UNITAR’s road safety training activities to provide key insights on how academic institutions are contributing to road safety and highlight the impact this network has on providing practical solutions to addressing current challenges.

The Conference concluded with a meeting of the “Global City Pilot Steering Committee” led by Ab InBev, where participants reviewed proposed initiatives to advance road safety in Johannesburg, defined next steps to implement targeted interventions and discussed impact-oriented road safety solutions.

Photo 1: Conference participants during best practice exchange session

Photo 2: Members of the Global City Pilot Steering Committee