MANILA – The Philippines will take part in the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco in February 2025, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced Thursday.
This developed after Marcos met with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt at Malacañan Palace in Manila to discuss the Philippines’ progress toward road safety.
In a statement, Marcos said his administration’s strategies and future actions to improve road safety in the country are aligned with the UN’s Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to halve the number of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
“In a Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines), our roads are built to connect and protect, bringing people together safely,” Marcos said.
“We are committed to making our roads safer for all Filipinos, and the Philippines will proudly join the global dialogue at the upcoming Ministerial Conference in Morocco.”
The global road safety conference will be held in Morocco on February 18 to 20, 2025 to assess the progress made in implementing the Global Plan 2021-2030 during its initial five-year period to generate support for the new vision of safe and sustainable mobility.
During the meeting at Malacañan, Todt expressed his willingness to guide the Philippines to make its roads safer, after Marcos stressed the urgency of reducing road crashes in the country, particularly those involving motorcycles.
Todt also recommended the production of more durable helmets to ensure riders’ safety.
Marcos said collaboration with the private sector is crucial to ensure a stable market, adding that the initiative could potentially involve government subsidies to reduce costs, encouraging riders to use helmets that meet safety standards.
“I’m happy to meet you because I have been watching you over the years… and because we have safety concerns, especially for motorbikes. We have approximately 15 million Filipino riders in the country,” Marcos told Todt.
“They have the highest percentage of accidents both fatal and non-fatal. It’s really on the two wheels. So, it’s really that we are very concerned about,” he added.
Marcos also agreed to Todt’s proposal to establish a task force that will work with the UN on road safety initiatives.
The task force members will come from the sectors of education, health, and both public and private entities.
Todt also visited the Philippines in April last year to advocate for the effective implementation of the UN’s Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
The World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018 showed an increasing trend in road traffic deaths in the Philippines, with a fatality rate of 12.3 per 100, 000 population, compared to a fatality rate of 9.3 per 100, 000 population in Europe.
The Philippines’ cooperation with the UN Development System is outlined in the Philippines’ 2024-2028 UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).
The UNSDCF serves as a strategic framework for the UN’s collaboration with the Philippines, aimed at supporting national development priorities, including the country’s transition to upper middle-income economy status and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (PNA)