A new alliance formed at ‘Road Safety Advocacy Workshop’ in Brazil
At the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHA / WHO) in Brasilia on 2 and 3 December, the Global Road Safety Partnership, as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Programme, hosted a meeting of experts to build an alliance of civil society organizations with a mission to increase advocacy efforts aligned with the Decade of Action for Road Safety in Brazil.
The 20 representatives from 16 NGOs discussed ways to introduce the issue on the political agenda within all levels of government, to encourage decision making, to create and implement stronger laws and to develop action plans for the short, medium and long term.
Speaking on the first day of the event, GRSP representative Ryan Duly noted the importance of working with advocacy plans and good policies to change methodologies. He also highlighted the effectiveness of evidence-based advocacy: “We need to show that it is scientifically proven that road safety can reduce deaths and injuries in traffic and prove that investments in prevention of accidents give great economic, social and health returns.” said Duly.
The participants, recognizing that society needs to mobilize to put pressure on the government to prioritize road safety as an issue, moved swiftly to create the Brazilian Alliance of Civil Society Organizations for Life on the Road (ABROT). A Letter of Intent was drafted during the sessions and will be made public shortly after signatures are received from the participating organizations.
