The Special Envoy delivered his opening remarks at the panel discussion on “Meeting Road Safety Financing and Implementation Challenges” during the “Transforming Transportation 2018” conference, hosted by the World Bank and EMBARQ, the sustainable mobility initiative of Word Resource Institute’s Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities. The Special Envoy emphasized the importance of partnership and cooperation amongst all road safety stakeholders and the need for reliable road safety data as well as highlighted the key role of the World Bank and other multilateral development banks in implementing the global road safety agenda.
Following the event, the Special Envoy attended a high-level meeting chaired by the World Bank Vice-President for Sustainable Development, Ms. Laura Tuck, and with Vice-President for Global Themes, Mr. Hartwig Schafer in attendance. During the meeting, the Special Envoy underscored the need to move beyond the advocacy stage into on-the-ground implementation on a large scale. As the establishment of the UN RSTF is expected to address the lack of funding for the issue, the Special Envoy strongly encouraged proactive initiatives. The Secretary-General’s suggestion to incorporate a direct link to the Global Road Safety Facility in the Fund governance was also welcomed. World Bank Senior management expressed their full commitment in support of the global road safety agenda and Fund.