ROAD SAFETY FORUM FOR IBERO-AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (EISEVI) ,
Opening ceremony
ENRIQUE V. IGLESIAS:
- Madam Vice President of the Spanish Government,
- Madam Vice President of the World Bank,
- Esteemed Ministers,
- Mr. President of the Council of the International Automobile Federation Foundation,
- Authorities,
- Ambassadors,
- Minhas senhoras, minhos senhores,
- Ladies and gentlemen,
- It is an honour to give you a warm welcome to this Latin America and the Caribbean Road Safety Meeting that, with the slogan “Saving lives”, we have organised together with several partner institutions. Without them it would not have been possible to hold this Meeting, and so I am sincerely grateful to them.
- The Ibero-American General Secretariat is the Body providing institutional and technical support to the Ibero-American Conference, comprising the 22 Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. An area open to the world, which wishes to make a positive contribution to the international community.
- This large area of agreement and cooperation covers fields of interest for our States and our citizens. From migrations to social cohesion and young people, we work on everything that matters to Ibero-American societies and that positively affects their development.
- Road Safety is no exception. The importance of this matter was highlighted in the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, presented in 2004 by the World Bank and the World Health Organisation. This report brought this intolerable bloodletting to the attention of the international community. For this reason it is an honour, Mrs. Cox, that you are with us here today.
- When the report was presented, one of our Latin American Heads of State, President Lula da Silva of Brazil, requested “a systematic and in-depth debate on a matter that affects everyone’s health”. In the same spirit, the last two Ibero-American Summits, in Santiago and San Salvador, have commissioned our Secretariat to monitor the question and to convene this Meeting, as well as to progress towards the consolidation of the Ibero-American Road Safety Association, and the establishment of a Road Safety observatory and regional plans.
- The figures are dramatic, unacceptable. Over 120,000 people die every year on our roads in road traffic accidents, and many more become handicapped and disabled for life, with costs reaching 2% of the GDP of our countries. The accident rate on Latin American and the Caribbean roads is taking away a large number of our young people. Road traffic accidents are now the main cause of death among Latin Americans between 5 and 44 years old. And we must add the hundreds of thousands of injured to this figure.
- A terrible paradox occurs: the same transport systems, which are a decisive aspect of modern living, the same systems that lead to the mobility of life, to contact between people and to their greater independence, are those that cause death.
- The same systems that lead to development are also those that make thousands of families impoverished every year, when the main breadwinner is killed or injured.
- A heavy weight of death and disability that falls severely on countries with low and middle incomes, burdening their development, budget, public services and expectations. Another example of inequality, because often the victims are the most vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
- The Forum we open today has four main features:
1. The first is the relevance of the parties involved. We have the presence
- Of the Governments, with the departments of transport, health, public order agents, education, infrastructure and finance.
- Of Civil Society, with academics, foundations, automobile clubs and professional organisations.
- Of the private sector, with road builders, automobile manufacturers, insurance companies and road users.
2. The second feature is the presence of the public-private alliances. We are all joined together and all share responsibilities to solve the challenges we face.
3. Thirdly, I want to highlight the active participation in the Meeting of brother nations from the Caribbean. They are neighbouring, similar countries, and societies with problems that are akin to those of numerous Latin American countries. We appreciate their participation and sincerely congratulate them on it.
4. Finally, the Forum considers a comprehensive perspective of the problems covered. We will deal with the three components of the Road Safety system:
- For the roads: their construction, maintenance, signage and improvement .
- For vehicles: their maintenance, equipment and sustainability.
- For users: their training and behaviour.
- This forum is not only open to Latin American and the Caribbean countries, but to the international community as a whole.
- We wish to share this thought and these efforts that we have raised with five specific objectives:
- We are looking to obtain conclusions aimed at action to achieve tangible results.
- We want to communicate, attract the attention of the public opinion that is the most affected by the Road Safety problem. For this reason, with respect for their pain and appreciation for their commitment, we have wanted to listen to the victims.
- We propose to contribute to the development of regional and national Road Safety Plans, consolidating the Ibero-American Road Safety Association and the construction of an Ibero-American Road Safety Area.
- We also want to promote the presence of Road Safety in the political agendas of Governments and international organisations. The contributions and conclusions of this Meeting will be sent to the 19th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government which will take place next November in Portugal.
- QFinally, we want to help to mobilise Latin American and regional support for the first high-level world conference that will be held in Moscow, under the auspices of the UN, in November this year.
- Ladies and gentlemen,
- In the long journey of life, we are all pedestrians, passengers and drivers. Our Secretariat, which is no expert on these matters, but that deals with areas ranging from primary education to the elderly, wishes to accompany you in your work and help with your objectives. There is a lot to share, and a lot to avoid.
- Share good practices and positive experiences that throughout our region, from Peru to Jamaica, from Mexico to Spain or Bogotá, are saving lives.
- Avoid competition between parallel options and the waste of resources. We want to promote networking, whether from the Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean or from the Ibero-American Road Safety Association. The extremely important work in hand must be shared, because we share the same objectives.
- The region needs, and deserves, an effective and closely coordinated mechanism. People who are saved from dying, or who are saved from being destroyed by a road traffic accident, are not going to ask about the acronym, the directors, or the financing of the institution that saved them; but they will, no doubt, appreciate the effective prevention mechanism, which will allow them to continue leading a productive and peaceful life with their loved ones.
- Therefore, this is a Meeting with two main objectives:
- to be a forum to reach agreement on plans and priorities between parties that were previously distanced.
- to make an appeal so that in this international economic and financial crisis, which is very severe and for which the limits and duration are yet unknown, the resources assigned to Road Safety by the countries, development Banks and International Organisations are not reduced.
- The Brazilian Paulo Coelho says “the possibility of making a dream come true is what makes life interesting”. So I propose that, with a close connection to the reality, let us dream together that the epidemic of road traffic accidents can be overcome. Let us continue “saving lives”.
- Thank you