Luanda – Angola reiterated Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York, its commitment to continue to improve road safety, with the aim of achieving the targets set by the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
Speaking at the plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on "Improving Global Road Safety", the permanent representative of the Angolan Mission to the United Nations, Francisco José da Cruz, said the Angolan government is currently paying special attention to road safety all over the country and is taking decisive initiatives to reduce mortality rates caused by road accidents.
The diplomat said that last year, the Angolan government approved the National Road Safety and Prevention Plan 2023-2027, in line with regional and continental recommendations, to halve the number of road accidents and put the country among the top 10 African states with the fewest road accidents.
The Plan aims to improve the training process for vehicle drivers, develop a culture of road education, ensure efficient management and increase safety levels for infrastructure, vehicles and road users.
It also aims to improve and expand rescue and care for accident victims to reduce the number of deaths resulting from road accidents.
At the plenary meeting, the member states adopted, by consensus, the Draft Resolution on Improving Global Road Safety.
The legal tool urges member states and relevant actors to accelerate and intensify efforts to implement the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, making road safety a political priority and ensuring its relevance in the broader sustainable development agenda.
It encourages the establishment of inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms, notably between the ministries of health, transport, education, public works, interior and environment to address cross-cutting issues affecting all sectors involved in road safety issues.
According to the World Health Organization's 2023 statistics, approximately 1.2 million people die each year as a result of traffic accidents, while traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged between 5 and 29. In addition, road accidents cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.FMA/ART/TED/AMP
