Coalition holds after launch party of the Global Plan

Last week, November 4, the Global Youth Coalition hosted an after-launch party of the Global Plan to give members a key understanding of the Plan and how they can use it as an advocacy tool to connect with decision-makers and implement road safety projects in their respective communities.

The session was led by youth leadership board members Simon Patrick Obi and Sana’a Khasawneh. It featured superstar lecturer Dr. Nhan Tran, one of the authors of the Global Plan and the current Unit Head of Safety and Mobility of the Department of Social Determinants of Health of the World Health Organization (WHO). 

The session was kicked off with the Coalition’s official anthem, produced by Youth Arts Movement Uganda. The program proceeded with the assessment of how much the participants knew about the Plan and what efforts they have done in the last year to help achieve 50by30.

During the session, Dr. Nhan talked about the Plan and how road safety interconnects with the different sustainable development goals. He also emphasizes how important young people are in efforts to achieve the targets set in the Decade of Action for Road Safety not just because they are the most affected but because it is their right to get involved. 

“It’s up to you to imagine the future of mobility and I think it’s your space and it’s your rights and it’s your future. Make the future yours because it is really about what you do now that will impact what happens for the next ten years” 

Dr. Nhan also talked about how the implementation of the Global Plan is a shared responsibility among all road users. He says, "Road safety is a shared responsibility - Each and every one of us has a responsibility and obligation we have to do to ensure that the systems that we live in are safe". 

He sheds light on how the actions of different sectors contribute to the road safety challenges different regions experience as well as what different groups can do to take action and hold others accountable. 

To better understand the different challenges faced around the world, the regional leaders of the Coalition offered different perspectives on the road safety and mobility issues they’ve experienced as young people. Apart from shedding light on these struggles, the regional leaders also asked Dr. Nhan about how the tool can address and hopefully resolve these issues. 

Regional leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America gave their insights.

Dr. Nhan highlighted how road safety connects with the other global goals, explaining how addressing issues around transport and mobility can also aid in meeting the targets of the other goals. 

At the end of the session, members of the Coalition were provided with additional resources they can use to better understand how to use the Global Plan in the context of their different regions.