Regional Leaders: Bringing the Global Youth Coalition Closer to Local Action
The Global Youth Coalition is constantly organising, leading, and facilitating activities to connect young people and advance road safety initiatives around the world. To support this work and ensure meaningful regional representation, the Coalition appointed Regional Leaders.
Regional Leaders play a key role in engaging young people at the regional level, mobilising youth leadership, and strengthening the connection between global priorities and local realities. Through localised activities and opportunities, they help bring the benefits of the Coalition to communities of changemakers working on road safety and sustainable mobility across regions.
Currently, the Coalition is represented by Regional Leaders across South-East Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Pacific.
Regional Leaders support the Coalition by:
Engaging and mobilising youth leaders within their regions
Supporting local and regional activities and learning spaces
Connecting members to opportunities, partnerships, and global processes
Ensuring regional realities and perspectives are reflected in global advocacy
Together, they help ensure youth participation within the Coalition is inclusive, grounded, and impactful.
Meet the Regional Leaders
South-East Asia
Avira Bhatt (India)
A youth advocate trained through UNICEF’s YAG ToT programme, Avira collaborates with UNICEF on campaigns amplifying youth voices in policymaking for road safety. She has written for platforms such as Scroll, AckoDrive, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs, inspiring young people across India to create safer and more inclusive streets.
Shivani Khurana (India)
An urban planner and researcher focused on equitable accessibility and safety in city planning. Through the Gurugram Vision Zero project, Shivani advocates for policy and design solutions to reduce road fatalities, combining technical expertise with stakeholder engagement.
Africa
Pedius Boniphace (Tanzania)
A marketing and public relations professional trained in road safety and dispute resolution, Pedius supports youth engagement and communication efforts across the region, combining advocacy with community-based action.
Stephen Kome Fondzenyuy (Cameroon)
A civil engineer and PhD candidate specialising in transport infrastructure and road safety, Stephen has worked with the World Bank and facilitated road safety workshops across Africa, reaching thousands of young people.
Angela Tumuhairwe (Uganda)
A transport specialist with a Master’s degree in Transportation Science, Angela focuses on road safety audits, crash investigations, and sustainable transport policy, collaborating with academic institutions and road safety organisations since 2018.
Europe
Salvatore Podda (Italy)
A mobility engineer and co-founder of #AdessoBasta, Salvatore has led youth advocacy for safer roads in Sardinia and contributed to low-carbon mobility projects, including MaaS pilots and cycling initiatives across Italy.
The Americas
Valeria Bernal Castillo (Colombia)
A political scientist and urban management professional specialising in gender, care policies, and sustainable mobility. As an SDG Champion, Valeria co-authored the Coalition’s first policy brief on gender and road safety, helping position the issue on Bogotá’s public agenda.
Armando Pliego Ishikawa (Mexico)
A public policy consultant specialising in mobility and road safety, Armando has worked across citizen-led initiatives and government roles, advancing sustainable transport and road culture policies at local and national levels.
Prabhjeet Singh (United States of America)
A public health professional specialising in injury prevention and health policy, Prabhjeet advocates for youth leadership in road safety through global forums, combining research, innovation, and policy engagement.
Eastern Mediterranean
Noor Zahran (Jordan)
An architect specialising in urban planning, road safety advocacy, and metaverse design, Noor has led projects across the Middle East and was a Local Actions winner in 2023. Her work highlights the role of technology and planning in creating safer cities.
Western Pacific
Anggarani Fatmawati (Indonesia)
A planning and reporting officer at the Ministry of Transportation, Anggarani combines government experience with academic training in urban planning and transportation science, with a strong focus on traffic safety and urban mobility.
Alyssa Julianne Belda (Philippines)
A development worker and community organiser specialising in active mobility and gender equity. Alyssa co-founded the Make It Safer Movement and has led successful mobilisations to protect bike lanes and promote safe school zones across Metro Manila.
