Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 21–22 May 2024. In a significant move towards enhancing road safety in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, the UN NCD Task Force Secretariat, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme , and the UN Road Safety Fund joined forces with the Gulf Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Gulf Health Council and the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries to review the current state of road safety, the impact of road traffic crashes, and ways to reduce their number and impact in the region.
Policymakers and scientists reviewed a set of road safety investment cases for Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which quantified for the first time across the region, the significant health and socioeconomic impact of road traffic crashes.
Major barriers to road safety include the lack of observing speed limits and not wearing seat belts and child restraints. But it was clear that there is now huge political will to overcome them. Cost-effective and evidence-based interventions were discussed, along with approaches to harness new technologies. Transiting to public and multimodal transport, which would also encourage healthier lifestyles and a reduction in the use of fossil fuels was also emphasised.
Data from the WHO’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 were presented and key GHC initiatives reviewed, including the regional injury prevention program and the road safety awareness campaign.
Exciting proposals to emerge from the workshop included plans for a unified regional road traffic accident prevention roadmap, commitment to improve national and regional road safety action in line with global best practice, and agreement on future collaboration between the partners.
Additional information: Further information and detail on previously conducted investment cases is available here.