Global young leaders to bring road safety innovation, collaboration and accountability to Morocco; one meaningfully engaged voice at a time

Meet Deep, a young activist from India, Lindi a student from Kenya and Mary an artist from Colombia. While worlds apart, living in starkly different political, economic and cultural realities, they are united by their demand to tackle a scourge that transcends borders. Road traffic crashes are a preventable public health pandemic and young leaders all around the world are taking action to be part of the solution. But Deep, Linda and Mary can’t do it alone.

Meaningful youth participation goes beyond simply involving young people in discussions—it's about systematically embedding ideas, experiences, and expertise into decision-making processes. Young people aged 15-29 are disproportionately affected by road traffic injuries and have the unique ability to bring fresh, innovative solutions to this global health crisis. To truly harness this potential, youth participation must be systemic, impactful, and continuous, ensuring that their voices contribute meaningfully to addressing the challenge through policy design, implementation and social accountability.

Achieving meaningful youth participation requires a shift in mindset and ways of working. It starts by acknowledging young people as credible societal stakeholders who can drive change, spur action and contribute depth to road safety solutions. This involves building long-term relationships with youth groups. We must create spaces where youth can actively engage, invest in their leadership development, and collaborate to find innovative solutions to road safety challenges. The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 stresses the importance of recognising young people as key stakeholders in achieving the targets of #50by30. When we invest in young people and create equitable spaces for participation, integrated into national road safety strategies and plans, road safety policies become more inclusive, effective, and benefit all road users through increased compliance.

To embolden and champion the case for meaningful youth participation in road safety Youth for Road Safety (YOURS), through its Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety (GYC) program, is organising the 3rd World Youth Assembly for Road Safety, an official side event of the 4th Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. Engagement and capacity on road safety work both ways; we need stakeholders, decision-makers and policy planners to work with young people, but we also need skilled young people who fully grasp the scope of the road safety challenge and understand how sustainable mobility impacts their lives and futures. This is why we are gathering young road safety activists before the Ministerial conference to gather and unite youth in our common mission of tackling road traffic crashes and sustainable mobility, a global scourge that kills more young people than any other public health concern.

The Assembly provides a platform for young leaders to come together, learn about each other’s realities and the solutions that have worked, exchange knowledge and gain new tactics to engage directly with policymakers and multiple stakeholders while taking action back home. Young leaders are committed to advocating for road safety policies that reflect their lived experiences and community needs, pushing road safety up the political agenda. This gathering will adopt the second Global Youth Statement for Road Safety and demonstrate how youth-led actions can significantly influence the global road safety agenda and drive localised action to achieve our global targets.

As part of our mission in Morocco, YOURS will continue to equip young advocates and policymakers with essential tools to support the implementation of intergenerational cooperation in the policymaking process for road safety and sustainable mobility. At the Ministerial Conference, we will champion the Policymaker Toolkit, which offers a roadmap for establishing or improving meaningful youth participation mechanisms within the policymaking cycle for health, road safety, and active mobility policies. At the same time, the Advocacy & Campaign Toolkit empowers young people with the skills and strategies needed to communicate and work hand in hand with decision-makers and to drive sustainable policy change effectively to save lives together.

As the global road safety community gathers in Morocco for the Fourth Ministerial Conference, the 3rd World Youth Assembly will stand as a powerful reminder of young people's role in shaping a safer future. Young leaders will be present in great numbers, bringing with them the direct experience of the numerous challenges faced on the world’s roads, as well as the pain of being the age group that has lost friends, peers, and family members all too often. They will be actively engaged in being part of the road safety solution, ready to meet with decision-makers, hold them accountable, and collaborate meaningfully to address this global cross-cutting cause.

Their meaningful participation is a necessity for creating inclusive, effective, and lasting solutions to the road safety challenges we face today. By fostering collaboration between youth and policymakers and being recognised as key stakeholders in the road safety ecosystem, we can ensure that the next generation has the tools, resources, and platforms to drive the change we need for a safer world.

For more information about the 3rd World Youth Assembly and how to get involved, visit www.wyaroadsafety.org

If you want to learn more about YOURS work and publications, you can check out those academic articles at BMJ (BMJ Journal- Injury prevention section, September 2024) Bridging the gap between youth and policymakers: a toolkit for policy change on sustainable mobility - Youth-driven actions of road safety in the sustainable development agenda