The FIA Foundation’s main priority in 2009 has been to promote the ‘Call for a Decade of Action for Road Safety’, ahead of the first Global Ministerial Conference on road safety, in Moscow in November 2009. This proposal, for a decade of committed action to try to cut the projected increase in road deaths by 50% by 2020, was first recommended by the Commission for Global Road Safety, an initiative established and coordinated by the FIA Foundation. The concept of a road safety decade has now been embraced by many road safety organisations across the world, endorsed by the US House of Representatives in a voted resolution, and supported by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. It is another good example of how the FIA Foundation is shaping and leading the global policy debate on road safety.
FIA Foundation Director General David Ward
We have also been delighted by the response to our Make Roads Safe campaign and the ‘Decade’ proposal across the world. On pages 8 & 12 you can see some of the events we have organised, supported by Heads of State such as the Costa Rican President, Oscar Arias Sanchez, and the Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete, as well as celebrities like Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. We have also continued to draw support from global public figures, including Desmond Tutu and former President Bill Clinton. The FIA Foundation’s engagement with the Clinton Global Initiative has been one of the new developments this year, and is another sign that global road safety is coming of age as a mainstream policy issue.
I must pay particular tribute to Michelle Yeoh who, despite a frenetic movie schedule, has given so much of her time to promoting the Make Roads Safe campaign as a our global ambassador. From high profile media events and policy gatherings to smaller, unsung, interventions, Michelle’s commitment to the road safety cause has been inspiring. A highlight of this year was the Rome launch of her road safety documentary, Turning Point, which was broadcast worldwide by the BBC and featured at a charity event during the Cannes Film Festival.
But away from the flashbulbs and buzz of our global advocacy work, the core of the FIA Foundation’s programmatic work has focused on injury prevention efforts. Our support for the International Road Assessment Programme continues to bear fruit, with iRAP’s new alliance with the Inter-American Development Bank signalling a growing acceptance of the need for rigorous safety assessment at all stages of road design and building. The FIA Foundation has announced a ten year, $10 million commitment to iRAP to extend this vital work. We are also backing international programmes dedicated to helmet wearing and seat belt use, as detailed in this Review, and will be making these ‘vaccines’ a central element of our activity in a ‘Decade of Action’.
The FIA Foundation is also making its mark on the environmental agenda. At the Geneva Motor Show in March I joined the executive directors of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Energy Agency and the International Transport Forum in launching the ‘50by50’ Global Fuel Economy Initiative. Together we are working to place vehicle fuel economy, and the exciting potential savings in CO2 emissions that can result, high on the climate change agenda.
Finally, I would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who have worked with us over the past year to deliver our programmes and our ambitious agenda for change.
David Ward
Director General
FIA Foundation