L´Union fait la Force
How the Road Victims landscape has changed during the last 25 years.
In the early nineties we saw a big social movement in Europe and elsewhere setting up institutions and nonprofit organisations for different causes.
In the field of Road Safety one can certainly mention the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) a Brussels-based independent non-profit making organization, dedicated to reducing the numbers of deaths and injuries in transport in Europe, founded in 1993. For those representing road traffic victims it was FEVR, the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims, the only international federation representing Victims at this time, starting in July 1991.
Today there are many more global actors, alliances and partnerships working for and with Road Traffic Victims.
Regional and global Road Victim associations have been set up like FICVI the Ibero American Federation against Road Violence or IRVP, the International Road Victim Partnership.
Since 2013 we have also the Global Alliance (GA ) representing NGO’s working for Road Safety and for Road Victims rights. This important international representation of NGO´s was built up out of a body from representatives of mostly victim organisations by the WHO after a meeting 2004 in Geneva. FEVR was represented by former president Brigitte Chaudhry.
The official start was than in 2009 in Brussels where WHO had invited NGO´s from Road Victims and Road Safety for a meeting. This was also the launch of the Brussels NGO declaration coordinated by Brigitte Chaudhry.
After a second meeting in Washington 2011 organized again by the WHO this led to the Global Alliance of Road Safety NGO´s who organize now meetings every two years.
Post Crash Response
A GA working group on the 5. Pillar of the Decade of Action for Road Safety, the Post Crash Response, is of special interest to their different members who represent Road Victims. Road Victims are also represented in the UNRSC (UN Road Safety Collaboration Forum ) chaired by the WHO where a Post Crash Response group tries also to advocate for these important victim issues.L´Union fait la Force
Aren´t all these federations, associations not representing common interests as all are advocating for a better Post Crash Response. So they should speak with one strong voice, should unite and work closer together for the sake of their common objectives. Because only by this way we will get the strength so much needed and the victims voices getting louder and so our justified wishes and our needs better considered and heard by governments and road safety players.
L´Union fait la Force.
FEVR had also initiated again through Brigitte Chaudhry and Road peace in 1993 the WDoR (World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims) which is now celebrated every 3. Sunday in November and endorsed through a UN resolution in October 2005 to remember the many victims their families and all those concerned by Road Traffic Crashes.
This day should always be the “business” of victim organisations, all united and being the symbol of a common battle against this global killer and health issue, the epidemic of road traffic crashes. Of course Road Safety entrepreneurs young and older ones should help to make this day an instrument to call that much more needs to be done to reduce the numbers of casualties around the world. Therefore a call 40 weeks ahead of WDoR2020 that all victims and their friends around the world should work together on “their” Day of Remembrance.
L´Union fait la Force.
Road Safety 2020
And maybe that after the 3rd Ministerial conference on Road Safety, in Stockholm in 10 days, we will come closer to such a Union with a new push with all stakeholders for a new and more successful decade including again the Post Crash Response as a strong Pillar being joined by all victims voices all over the world.
Union makes the strenght ( l´Union fait la Force) with
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/07-02-2020-ministers-to-agree-new-global-road-safety-agenda-to-2030
Comments
Post a Comment