Senior representatives from international development organisation, Transaid, have presented in two expert panels as part of discussions at the fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, which took place in Marrakech last week, hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Morocco.
Transaid Trustee and Head of Road Safety at Holcim, Astrid Van Der Burgt, was invited to present on the importance of road safety for companies, emphasising that workplace safety should not end at the office door.
Van Der Burgt says: “Private companies must acknowledge road safety as a workplace risk and embed it into their policies, from procurement to performance management. We must extend the demand for high safety standards to our transport operations – whether carried out by employees or contracted transporters.
“It’s essential the private sector take ownership of road safety within its supply chains; this should be treated as a core business priority – because every crash prevented is a life saved.”
Sam Clark, Head of Programmes for Transaid, focused his presentation on the organisation’s continued work in Kenya on the National Helmet Wearing Coalition, whilst taking part in a panel on governmental commitments to road safety and how to hold them to account.
With support from global road safety philanthropy, the FIA Foundation, the National Helmet Wearing Coalition is now on its third phase, extended from its launch in 2021, to improve safety for Kenya’s motorcycle taxi industry and the 22 million passengers it carries each year.
Conference participants reviewed progress, priorities, and plans with 2025 marking the halfway point of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. Focus areas included road safety governance, emerging trends in mobility, financing, private sector work, road traffic injury data, and connections with related Sustainable Development Goals’ agendas. Particular attention was placed on progress in Africa, as the first Global Ministerial Conference on road safety to be held on the continent.
For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
About Transaid
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
For further press information:
Maddy Matheson at Transaid: +44 (0)20 7387 8136 / maddy@transaid.org
Natalie Ganshert or James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR: +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to natalie.ganshert@garnettkeeler.com / james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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