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Delivered by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

28 November 2020

Opening Remarks

 

Excellencies,

Members of the Brunei National Road Safety Council,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to extend my sincerest appreciation for commemorating the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Since 2005, with the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/5 on "Improving global road safety", member States and the international community have been observing the third Sunday in November as a day to recognise the victims of road traffic crashes and their families, as appropriate.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The road safety is an issue of great concern to the Asia-Pacific region.

60 per cent of the global road deaths occur in our region and one person is killed by road crashes in every 38 seconds.

The vulnerable road users consist of motorized two wheelers, pedestrians and bicyclists. This group account for more than 50 per cent of road fatalities.

These are indeed sobering statistics.

Critically, the socio-economic consequences of the road crashes are huge, causing immeasurable loss to families across the entire society.

Ladies and gentlemen,

To address this emerging challenge, the United Nations General Assembly recently proclaimed 2021-2030 as the second Decade of Action for Road Safety.

At the regional level, ESCAP Resolution 74/3 entitled “Improving road safety in Asia and the Pacific for sustainable transport systems” called upon member States and the secretariat to further strengthen regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing to improve road safety at all levels.

I welcome the initiative of the Brunei National Road Safety Council Road Safety Strategic Plan to achieve the objectives and goals through improvement of road safety at the national level.

Ladies and gentlemen,

ESCAP stands ready to work with national, subregional and regional partners to improve road safety in the Asia-Pacific region.

I wish you a very successful observation of the Day.

Thank you.

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