Global Youth Coalition Member Feature: Mille One Maferima Kounady

1. Where are you connected right now? Tell us about the work you're doing.
We are in Côte d'Ivoire and our NGO works mainly in educating children about road safety as well as improving roadside school infrastructure in order to reduce speed in school zones.

2. How did you first get involved in road safety and how long have you been working in the road safety and sustainable mobility field?
We created our NGO in 2009 following an accident that our older sister suffered.

3. Can you tell us a little bit about the road safety and sustainable mobility situation in your area? 
Road safety has improved significantly in my country since the last Stockholm High-Level Meeting and Declaration (2020). The Ministry of Transport has adopted several measures to address road safety issues, particularly seen in the establishment of a National Road Safety Plan involving all road safety actors and the establishment of verbalizer cameras on all streets throughout the national territory. Thanks to these cameras, drivers are increasingly respecting the highway code, more particularly the speed limit and the telephone while driving.

4. Why do you think it's important to include young people in local and global road safety efforts? 
It is important to include young people in road safety because young people represent the largest number of road crash victims on the world's roads. So involving them in the search for solutions can make them more aware of the danger and have more of their demands met.

5. Why did you join the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety? 
We joined the Youth Coalition in order to contribute to global efforts through this Coalition and also strengthen our ability to improve road safety in our country

6. What are your comments on the Youth Coalition? Its activities? Its opportunities? 
I salute the creation of this Youth Coalition which remains today the largest global youth coalition for road safety. I propose exploded activities in member countries and more funding opportunities for young people so that they can carry out concrete programs in their different countries for a real reduction in road crashes.

7. Any messages for people who have not yet joined the Youth Coalition? 
We encourage young people to join the coalition because together the impossible suddenly becomes possible