Multilateral Development Banks release Joint High Level Statement on Road Safety

Ten MDBs made a joint statement of commitment to to support the second decade of action on road safety on 16 November 2020.

Each signatory institution commits to appointing a high-level road safety champion and promoting a more ambitious, integrated, accountable and results-oriented approach in countries, with particular focus on safe infrastructure for all users.

Signing the document for ADB, its Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development Bambang Susantono said Asia and the Pacific has the highest number of road fatalities in absolute terms, with almost 60% of global road deaths.

“This calls for a collective and urgent road safety action in the region if we are to achieve universal road safety targets including the recent goal of halving the number of global road deaths by 2030,” he said. “ADB will continue to strengthen our commitment to our client government’s road safety efforts across Asia and the Pacific by embedding road safety within all road subsector support, exploring possible standalone road safety assistance, promoting a safe systems approach to addressing road safety, and enabling evidence-based road safety policies with support from the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory which is hosted by ADB.”

Besides ADB, the other signatories were the African Development Bank, Andean Development Corporation—CAF, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, New Development Bank, and World Bank.