18 March 2024 – WHO has published its “Strategic action framework to strengthen road safety systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region”. This provides guidance on how to design and implement context-specific and multisectoral national road safety policies and action plans based on the Safe System approach. Members of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean endorsed the framework through resolution EM/RC.70/R.1.
This regional framework supports country action to operationalize the “Global plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030”. Such action includes efforts to develop national strategies and plans that consider the country context and draw on internationally proven best practices. The guidance was developed in full consultation with every country and territory of the Eastern Mediterranean Region to ensure its relevance and feasibility for implementation at country level.
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) continue to be a global and regional public health and development concern. WHO’s “Global status report on road safety 2023” shows that the Eastern Mediterranean Region accounts for 11% of global road traffic deaths. The Region’s road traffic fatality rate, estimated at 16 deaths per 100 000 population in 2021, is the second highest of all WHO regions. The WHO Global Health Estimates 2019 data show that RTIs are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 years in the Region.
RTIs continue to be a problem for every country and territory of the Region, regardless of their income level. Considerable economic losses are also incurred at the national level, with road traffic crashes costing countries up to 5% of their annual gross domestic product.
The framework’s vision is of an Eastern Mediterranean Region free of road traffic fatalities and serious injuries – where no one dies or is injured, thanks to the use of a sustainable road transportation system. Its goal is to progressively reduce road traffic deaths and injuries in countries and territories of the Region using the Safe System approach through 3 strategic objectives. A list of actions is proposed for each objective (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Strategic action framework to strengthen road safety systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Publishing the regional framework is just the first step towards improving road safety. The adoption and implementation of the actions it suggests will be critical to ensure that progress towards the Safe System is achieved at country level – where real change can take place.
Related links
Strategic action framework to strengthen road safety systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean resolution EM/RC70/R.1
Global plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030
Global status report on road safety 2023
