More governments support UN Ministerial Conference

The Government of the Russian Federation has added its support to the Make Roads Safe campaign’s call for a UN Ministerial Conference on road safety, and has indicated that it is considering hosting the meeting.

Lord Robertson with Ambassador Fedotov

Prince Michael of Kent with Victor Kiryanov

Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik (photo courtesy www.g8russia.ru)

In a meeting with Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, Chairman of the Commission for Global Road Safety, Russia’s Ambassador to London, HE Yuri Fedotov, confirmed Russia’s support for an historic first global UN meeting on road safety. Russia becomes the third G8 country, after the UK and Italy, to support the Make Roads Safe campaign’s proposal for a UN conference.

The Patron of the Commission for Global Road Safety, Prince Michael of Kent, also recently held discussions with the head of Russia’s road traffic police, Victor Kiryanov, in Moscow.

Austria has also backed the call for a UN ministerial after a meeting between the foreign ministry and the Austrian auto club, OEAMTC. Austria’s foreign minister, Ursula Plassnik, said: “Every day 3000 people, 500 of them children, are killed in accidents all over the world. Such a high number of victims are unacceptable. We must do everything we can to improve road safety and people's quality of life. Reducing the number of victims on our roads and alleviating the suffering of those concerned, their relatives and their friends, is something we can only achieve together. That is why I am committed to supporting the Make Roads Safe campaign as a priority concern”.

A UN General Assembly debate on a new global road safety resolution, including the proposal for a UN Ministerial, is now likely to be held in March 2008, spearheaded by the Sultanate of Oman.

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