The Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco on 18-20 February 2025, with the theme of “One Road, One World, Commit to Life”, will bring leaders and experts together to accelerate action towards the Sustainable Development Goals’ target of halving global road deaths by 2030.
Halfway through the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, and with just five years left to achieve the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, participants will assess progress, identify priorities, share knowledge, forge and strengthen alliances, and advance commitments and actions to save more lives on the world’s roads.
Road safety is an urgent and preventable global health crisis. Road crashes claim the lives of nearly 1.2 million people around the world each year – around 3200 every day – and are the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5-29.
Yet global road deaths are falling, slightly. More than half of all UN Member States report declining deaths in recent years, and 10 of these countries have halved deaths in 10 years, showing that a 50% reduction is possible. At the Ministerial Conference, participants will learn from, and build on, these successes to spur more improvements around the world.
Focus areas for the conference include road safety governance, emerging trends in mobility, financing, working with the private sector, road traffic injury data, connections with related Sustainable Development Goals’ agendas, and as the first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety to be held on the African continent, a focus on progress in Africa.
Participants will include ministers, heads of national road safety agencies, government representatives from authorities at all levels as well as from connected sectors, parliamentarians, experts from the United Nations, civil society, business and academia.
The conference builds on the previous Ministerial Conferences on Road Safety held in the Russian Federation [2009], Brazil [2015] and Sweden [2020] that yielded crucial road fatality reduction targets, actions and global collaborations to advance road safety worldwide.
Objectives
- Assess the achievements and progress made through the implementation of the Global Road Safety Master Plan 2021-2030.
- Renew and strengthen countries’ commitment to achieving the goals of the Decade of Action for Road Safety by 2030.
- Exchange and share road safety expertise, pioneering experiences and best practices between countries, especially those that have recorded a significant reduction in the number of road fatalities between 2010 and 2021.
- Promote partnership and cooperation in the field of road safety between the different sectors.
- Promote the integration of new technologies in road safety management and administration.
CONFERENCE THEMES
- Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 ;
- Road Safety Strategies: Institutionalization, Leadership, and Financing Mechanisms ;
- Public and sectoral policies: Transport, equipment, interior and public health ;
- Local and territorial management: Mayors, elected authorities and territorial administrations ;
- Legislation and regulations of road safety ;
- Development of road infrastructure ;
- Mobility safety and mobility inside and outside the urban area
- Road monitoring and control mechanisms.
- Ambulances and care for victims of traffic accidents.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The Ministerial Conference will be an opportunity to concretely accelerate action to improve road safety by implementing the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. Specific outcomes of the Ministerial Conference will include:
- sharing lessons learned around effective strategies to improve road safety;
- revitalizing country commitments;
- further integrating road safety within the broader 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
- And agreeing on an intergovernmental political declaration.
State of road safety in the world:
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in its latest State of Road Safety report in 2023 that the annual number of deaths from road accidents has decreased slightly from 1.35 million to 1.2 million, despite the increase in the number of motor vehicles worldwide, a population that has more than doubled and a road network that has grown significantly. Road traffic crashes remain the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5-29 and account for two-thirds of deaths among working-age people (18-59 years), causing enormous health, social and economic damage across society.Unprotected pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists are the most vulnerable groups, with more than half of all fatalities occurring in this road user group. The report concludes that road safety results are still far from meeting the UN target of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
A call for improved global standards and policies:
The WHO report reveals an alarming lack of progress in the development of safety laws and standards, with only six countries having a legal arsenal that meets WHO best practices with regard to risk factors (speeding, drunk driving, motorcycle helmets, seat belts and child seats) While 140 countries (two-thirds of UN Member States) have laws that address the at least one of the risk factors listed above. 23 of these countries have amended their legislation to meet WHO best practices since the publication of the 2018 Global Status Report on Road Safety.The global car fleet is expected to double by 2030. However, only 35 countries – less than one-fifth of UN member states – have adopted vehicle safety legislation (such as advanced braking systems, frontal and side impact protection, and other safety features). The report also reveals significant gaps in road infrastructure safety: only 51 countries, or a quarter of UN member states, have laws requiring safety inspections for all road users.
The organization by the Kingdom of Morocco of the fourth session of the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in 2025:
The choice of the Kingdom of Morocco to host the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety is an opportunity to send a strong message of responsibility and awareness of the global issue of road safety, especially in developing countries that record the highest annual rates of road fatalities.In addition, this choice illustrates Morocco’s position as a leader in making road safety a national, regional and international priority. At the national level, the issue of road safety under royal patronage has resulted in deep institutional reforms, including the creation of the National Road Safety Agency (Narsa) in 2020. At the regional level, Morocco collaborated with the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) to organize the first African Road Safety Forum in 2018 in Marrakech. Previously, the Kingdom of Morocco hosted the Fourth World Congress of Road Safety Associations in 2015 with the WHO and the Global Alliance of NGOs, and actively contributed within the WHO to the organization of the Third Global Ministerial Conference in Stockholm.
The fourth edition of the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety is expected to bring together more than 2 500 participants and high-level delegations led by the ministers responsible for road safety of the participating countries, representatives of the United Nations, international organizations, civil society, academic institutions, the private sector and national and international media organizations. This edition will also be marked by the organization of sessions dedicated to the ministers concerned, mayors of cities and heads of national road safety agencies, as well as thematic workshops.
For more information, visit: www.roadsafetymorocco.com
