The 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety will take place from February 18 to 20, 2025, in Marrakech, Morocco, under the theme “Committed to Life.” This event is the most significant global summit on road safety, bringing together leaders and experts to accelerate progress toward the goal of halving global road deaths by 2030.
Halfway through the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030), and with just five years remaining to meet the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), participants will assess the progress made, identify priorities, share knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and advance commitments to save more lives on the world’s roads.
A Key Meeting for Latin America
The regional meeting titled “Committed to Life: Latin America Strengthens Road Safety Agreements,” organized by the UNRSC (United Nations Road Safety Collaboration), will take place on Thursday, January 30, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (Mexico City time). It will offer a vital opportunity for key Latin American stakeholders to come together and reinforce a unified stance. In a region where road safety challenges remain critical, arriving at the Ministerial Conference with one strong voice and clear commitments that reflect the region’s needs and priorities is essential.
This meeting will be instrumental in mobilizing resources, sharing strategies, and reinforcing regional collaboration. According to the World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, Latin America faces significant road safety challenges. In 2021, the region recorded a traffic fatality rate of 14 per 100,000 inhabitants, just below the global average of 15 per 100,000. Vulnerable road users—pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists—account for over 50% of traffic deaths in the region. These figures underscore the urgent need for collective action to save lives.
The Global Challenge
Road safety is an urgent and preventable global public health crisis. Every year, road traffic crashes claim the lives of nearly 1.2 million people worldwide—about 3,200 deaths every day. It is the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5 to 29. However, global road deaths have slightly declined. More than half of UN Member States have reported reductions in fatalities in recent years, and ten countries have succeeded in cutting road deaths by half over the past decade, proving that a 50% reduction is achievable. This highlights the importance of focusing on Latin America and arriving in Morocco with solid, actionable commitments.
This Ministerial Conference presents an opportunity to build consensus and move toward concrete action. It is also the first of its kind to be held on the African continent. Key areas of focus include:
- Road safety governance
- Emerging mobility trends
- Financing and private sector collaboration
- Alignment with relevant Sustainable Development Goals
- Traffic injury data and evidence-based solutions
Participants will include ministers (cabinet-level officials), heads of national road safety agencies, government representatives, parliamentarians, UN experts, civil society, the private sector, and academia.
The conference builds on the legacy of previous Global Ministerial Conferences on Road Safety held in the Russian Federation (2009), Brazil (2015), and Sweden (2020), which achieved major milestones in reducing road deaths, implementing key actions, and advancing global cooperation for safer roads.
In November 2024, Mexico hosted the First Regional Road Safety Meeting, organized by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety with support from Fundación Aleatica para la Seguridad Vial.
During the event, 60 organizations from 20 countries came together to show that through multisectoral collaboration, it is possible to build a shared agenda that brings us closer to our common goal: saving lives.
About Fundación Aleatica for Road Safety
We are a nonprofit foundation committed to making the right to safe mobility a reality for all. Through a multisectoral public agenda, we implement strategic actions that promote safe infrastructure, safe vehicles, and safe road use.
Our vision is to become a catalyst for cultural change in road safety, fostering collaboration across sectors to achieve the targets set under the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030. All our efforts are aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, helping build a safer and more sustainable future for everyone.For more information, visit: https://www.fundacionaleatica.org
