Progress Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety

A/RES/80/292View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 12 Improving global road safety, published in 2026.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Declarations (Text)International Cooperation Road Traffic Traffic Safety

What’s in this document?

1 operative paragraph

Adopts the declaration entitled “Progress declaration of the high-level meeting on improving global road safety”, as contained in the annex to the present resolution.

Progress declaration of the high-level meeting on improving global road safety

Scaling up governance, financing and implementation to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030

We, Heads of State and Government and high-level representatives, assembled at the United Nations in New York on 20 and 21 July 2026 for the high-level meeting on improving global road safety,

Reaffirm our commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development¹ and its Sustainable Development Goals, in particular target 3.6 to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2030 and target 11.2 to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, and target 9.1 to develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all, recognizing that road safety is integral to sustainable development and contributes to progress across economic, social and environmental dimensions,

¹Resolution 70/1.

Recall General Assembly resolutions on improving global road safety, including resolution 74/299 of 31 August 2020, in which the Assembly proclaimed the period 2021–2030 as the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, with the target of preventing at least 50 per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030, and resolutions 76/294 of 30 June 2022 and 78/290 of 24 June 2024, which reaffirmed this target and called for strengthened implementation, governance, financing and accountability, and welcome the political declaration adopted at the first high-level meeting on improving global road safety in 2022, in which Member States committed to scaling up action in line with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, guided by evidence, data, technology and best practices, and requested regular progress reports to inform this high-level meeting,

Commend the World Health Organization for its leadership role in preventing road traffic injury and for its role in implementing the mandate conferred upon it by the General Assembly to act, in close cooperation with the United Nations regional commissions, as a coordinator on road safety issues within the United Nations system,

Commend the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety for his leadership and contribution to mobilizing political commitment and advancing global road safety, and the contributions of the United Nations Road Safety Fund, the United Nations regional commissions and other relevant United Nations entities, within their respective mandates, including the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations and the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety, in supporting Member States to advance road safety, including through high-level advocacy, regional cooperation, capacity-building and the development and promotion of norms, standards and good practices,

Take note of the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 18 to 20 February 2025, and its outcomes, including the endorsement of the Marrakech Declaration and renewed national commitments to accelerate action towards achieving the goal of halving global road deaths and injuries by 2030, and acknowledge the importance of the Moscow Declaration adopted at the first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in 2009,² the Brasilia Declaration adopted at the second Global High-level Conference on Road Safety in 2015 and the Stockholm Declaration adopted at the third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in 2020,

²A/64/540, annex.

Also take note of the report of the Secretary-General on improving global road safety,³ which highlights that road traffic injuries remain a major global health and development challenge, that progress towards the 2030 target is insufficient and uneven, and that road traffic injuries remain a leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5 to 29 years and the twelfth leading cause of death across all age groups combined, cause millions of serious and life-changing injuries each year, and impose substantial social and economic costs, with 92 per cent of fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries, while no country is immune from the burden,

³A/80/638.

Further take note of the fifth World Health Organization Global Status Report on Road Safety, which provided an assessment of progress made by Member States during the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020, and acknowledge that, despite the slow progress between 2010 and 2021, 35 Member States achieved reductions of 30 to 49 per cent in the number of deaths due to road traffic crashes and 10 Member States⁴ commendably reached the 50 per cent target reduction in road traffic deaths during that period,

⁴Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Denmark, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Russian Federation, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).

Recognize the importance of promoting innovation in road safety, including through awards, prizes, recognition mechanisms and other relevant initiatives that encourage scientific and technical projects and facilitate the exchange of best practices, and commend, in this regard, the High Decision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to launch the Mohammed VI International Prize for Road Safety, to be awarded at each Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety,

Also recognize that sustainable transport systems – including safe walking and cycling, high-quality public road transport, safe vehicles, safe, resilient infrastructure, and appropriate speed management – are central to improving road safety while also contributing to public health, equity, social inclusion, economic development, resilient supply chains, climate action and environmental sustainability, and that preventable deaths and serious injuries are not an acceptable cost of mobility,

Recall the proclamation of the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport,⁵ 2026–2035, and its implementation plan, and recognize that road safety and the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 are essential components of sustainable transport, requiring integrated planning across passenger and freight transport, alignment with land-use and urban planning, and coordination with health, education, energy, environment and climate policies,

⁵Resolution 78/148.

Recognize that countries are at different stages of development in road safety systems, institutional capacity and data availability, and that achieving lasting improvements requires common principles combined with context-specific, step-by-step implementation, supported by international cooperation, sustainable financing, capacity development and inclusive partnerships,

Also recognize that improving road safety requires a shared responsibility, in which Governments have the responsibility for regulatory measures and their enforcement, as well as public education, and road users are expected to comply with rules and act responsibly, while those responsible for the design, operation and regulation of the road transport system play a central role in ensuring safety, and that systems should be designed and managed to reduce exposure to fatal and serious injury risk and to ensure that human error, non‑compliance and other foreseeable human behaviours do not result in fatal and serious injuries, and that other efficient strategies could be employed, such as minimum vision requirements for operators of motorized vehicles and powered two- and three-wheelers and national road safety campaigns, including for non‑distractible behaviour on the road,

Further recognize that Governments bear the primary responsibility for improving road safety, while improving road safety requires accountability and is a shared responsibility across all sectors of society, including government at all levels, the private sector, civil society, academia, youth movements, philanthropic organizations, the United Nations system and road users, whose decisions influence the safety of the road transport system,

We therefore commit to scale up and accelerate implementation during the remainder of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety and to undertake the following actions:

Reaffirm the global target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030 and commit to take the necessary measures to achieve the goals, such as introducing measurable national targets, including for fatalities and serious injuries;

Strive to achieve this target through accelerated reductions in fatalities and serious injuries, with a particular emphasis on reducing risks for road users in vulnerable situations, including pedestrians, cyclists and users of powered two- and three-wheelers, and with special attention to the protection of children, young people, older persons and persons with disabilities, and occupational road users, including waste reclaimers, who are disproportionately affected;

Commit to strengthening road safety performance and alignment of transport mobility systems, where applicable, and progressively reducing exposure to fatal and serious injury risk across the road transport system through system-wide action, including safe infrastructure, safe speeds, safe vehicles, safe use, safe post-crash response, and the promotion of safe and sustainable transport;

Affirm that no death or serious injury on the roads is acceptable and commit towards progressively transforming road transport systems by implementing a safe system approach and other efficient strategies that will lead to a reduction in the numbers of fatalities and injuries;

Establish or designate a national lead agency or equivalent entity, taking into account national circumstances, with legal authority and accountability to coordinate road safety across government, including data, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting, supported by regional and global cooperation;

Ensure that such agency is supported by predictable and sustainable domestic government funding, with dedicated budget lines and adequate human and technical capacity to perform its functions;

Ensure that such agency provides visible leadership for road safety within government and society, including by communicating risks, promoting evidence-based policies and fostering accountability among all system actors and is empowered, funded and held accountable for results;

Support effective interministerial coordination mechanisms, including among transport, health, police, finance, education, environment and local authorities, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and the capacity to ensure coherence between policies, plans and implementation;

Adopt and implement funded national road safety strategies, taking into account national circumstances and priorities, with clear targets, timelines, budgets and accountability frameworks, inter alia, covering engineering, enforcement, education and emergency care, informed by data and aligned with broader national development priorities;

Encourage that road safety is integrated into national and regional, and local development planning, including transport, health, education, climate, environmental and urban policies, and that coordination mechanisms operate effectively across levels of government;

Strengthen governance arrangements across national, regional and local levels, recognizing that in decentralized systems, effective implementation may require empowered lead agencies or equivalent entities supported by national frameworks, guidance and oversight;

Ensure that the United Nations system implements road safety management systems, including for fleet and staff safety;

Commit to establishing, or strengthening, national data systems and reporting capacity, recognizing that global monitoring depends on timely, reliable, comparable and interoperable national data on road traffic deaths, serious injuries, risk factors, interventions and safety performance;

Establish, or progressively strengthen, national road traffic injury data, information and monitoring systems to support planning, implementation and monitoring, including through the integration of police, health and other relevant administrative data sources, and the use of internationally agreed definitions, classifications and methodologies, adapted to national context and capacity;

Promote a sequential approach to data system development, moving from basic and robust indicators towards more comprehensive and integrated systems over time, in line with national capacity and priorities;

Invest adequately in domestic research and knowledge systems, including universities and research institutions, to strengthen national capacity to generate evidence, inform policy and implementation, and build sustained awareness and ownership of road safety challenges;

Encourage Member States that have achieved better road safety outcomes to share their best practices with other countries, thereby facilitating knowledge-sharing and enabling capacity-building to collectively achieve the United Nations global goal on road safety;

Implement a comprehensive approach to speed management based on shared principles of human tolerance to injury, recognizing that survivable speeds differ by road environment, crash type and road user, and that fatal and serious injury risk is determined by kinetic energy;

Commit towards progressively aligning speed limits, road and land-use design, traffic rules and signage, vehicle design technologies and enforcement systems with survivable speeds, in line with national context and capacity, while ensuring compliance in practice;

Ensure that road infrastructure is planned, designed and operated to prevent fatal and serious injuries and that road and street networks are developed in a manner consistent with safe and sustainable urban planning and land-use principles, including through safe and accessible pedestrian infrastructure and level crossings, particularly in urban areas and areas around schools, as well as through traffic calming, median separation, safe roadsides and the management of high-risk environments, and that such infrastructure is designed according to national regulations and internationally recognized minimum safety standards and technical guidelines;

Ensure that public road transport systems, including bus rapid transit and similar systems, are safe, affordable, accessible and inclusive, including for children, older persons and persons with disabilities, and are designed with safe access, so that road users are not exposed to high-speed traffic when accessing services;

Institutionalize independent road safety audits as a component of the infrastructure project life cycle – covering design, pre‑opening and in-service stages – to systematically identify and remediate road hazards before and after opening, drawing on internationally recognized audit methodologies adapted to national contexts and capacity;

Promote the establishment and maintenance of safer roads in areas around schools and child-friendly transport environments through appropriate speed management, pedestrian infrastructure, traffic-calming measures, road safety education and enforcement;

Ensure that vehicles provide a high level of safety performance, including through consumer information, such as new car assessment programmes, through control of used vehicle imports and exports, and through the application of internationally agreed vehicle safety regulations, standards and best practices, taking into account national circumstances;

Deploy proven safety technologies that support safe behaviour and reduce injury risk, and support development and the sharing of new safety technologies on mutually agreed terms with developing countries;

Adopt and enforce legislation on key risk factors, supported by infrastructure, internationally harmonized vehicle technologies and system design that make safe behaviour the expected and default outcome;

Develop a culture of safety among the population, which includes the use of personal protective equipment by both drivers and passengers, such as seat belts, helmets, protective clothing, gloves and boots, personal airbags, respecting other users on the road, especially road users in vulnerable situations, and anticipating other road users’ errors;

Strengthen post-crash response systems, including by ensuring patients’ timely access to appropriate hospitals, emergency and trauma care, rehabilitation and long-term care, including through developing networks of patient referral and transportation systems, taking into account the specific needs of persons with disabilities as a result of injuries caused by road traffic crashes;

Encourage the management of major road accidents or accidents with mass casualties through an integrated public health emergency operations centre, or other appropriate mechanisms, to foster systematic coordination and collaboration between relevant organizations across all levels;

Address the road safety challenges associated with powered two- and three-wheelers through a holistic approach, including safer infrastructure, lower speed environments, the use of quality-certified protective helmets conforming to nationally recognized standards, improved rider protection, education and training, vehicle safety, and the promotion of safe and sustainable mobility alternatives;

Recognize the strong and consistent global evidence demonstrating that comprehensive and sustained action to address key behavioural risk factors including speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, including the use of drug, medication and deconditioning, distracted driving and the use of distracting devices, and the non‑use of helmets, seat belts and child restraints, is among the most effective and cost-efficient means of significantly reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries, and reaffirm the importance of implementing and enforcing evidence-based laws, supported by safe infrastructure and vehicle standards, including the deployment of advanced driver assistance systems, such as vehicle automation and other advanced safety technologies;

Promote road safety education, safety culture, health literacy and awareness, including through schools, communities, workplaces and digital platforms, and encourage the meaningful participation of youth and local communities in the design and implementation of road safety initiatives;

Encourage organizations, including private sector actors, to implement road safety policies and management systems across their operations, fleets and supply chains, including through the safe management of occupational road risk, the responsible procurement of vehicles and mobility transport services, and measures to ensure that employees and contractors use the transport system safely, avoiding incentives that lead to risky behaviour;

Encourage organizations whose business models rely on road transport, including logistics, delivery and mobility service providers, to integrate road safety into their core operations and performance management, and to prioritize safety in the design and delivery of their services;

Support the capacity of local and regional governments to manage speed, ensure safe infrastructure, including supportive signage, and integrate road safety into urban planning and service delivery;

Ensure that road safety is financed as a core public responsibility through domestic government budgets, with adequate and sustained resources commensurate with the scale of the problem, complemented, as appropriate, by international, national and local financing mechanisms;

Increase investment in road safety across sectors, recognizing that the current levels of financing globally remain insufficient relative to the health, social and economic burden of road traffic injuries and the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Integrate road safety into public finance and transport and infrastructure investment decisions, including through planning, appraisal and budgeting processes;

Ensure that all road and transport infrastructure projects financed through domestic and international resources meet minimum safety standards and contribute to reducing exposure to fatal and serious injury risk, including for road users who are in vulnerable situations, and comply with applicable national regulations and internationally recognized road safety standards throughout the project life cycle;

Strengthen safeguards, standards and accountability mechanisms to prevent the construction or upgrading of infrastructure that exposes road users to unacceptable risk, and to ensure that safety is systematically considered throughout the project life cycle;

Encourage Member States and other relevant stakeholders to leverage and strengthen a range of financing mechanisms, including public, private, philanthropic and international sources, and to expand and diversify contributions to mobilize sustainable resources, including the United Nations Road Safety Fund, for evidence-based road safety interventions and capacity development, particularly in low- and middle-income countries;

Call upon Member States to regularly report on progress in implementing national road safety strategies and commitments, including progress towards national targets on fatalities and serious injuries, and to report it by participating in the World Health Organization Global Status Report on Road Safety;

Encourage the integration of road safety into national reporting on sustainable development, including climate, health and urban development agendas, so as to ensure coherence and visibility across policy areas, and promote the mainstreaming of road safety considerations into sustainable transport, resilient infrastructure, environmental sustainability and social inclusion policies, recognizing its cross-cutting contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals;

Encourage the active engagement of the private sector, civil society, academia, youth movements, formal and informal volunteers and volunteerism and communities in promoting road safety, raising awareness and supporting accountability for the implementation of commitments;

Request the United Nations system, led by the World Health Organization, and with support of United Nations regional commissions, to continue supporting Member States, strengthening global monitoring and reporting, and facilitating the sharing of knowledge and good practices;

Encourage Member States that have not yet done so to consider becoming contracting Parties to relevant United Nations legal instruments related to road traffic and vehicle regulation, and to apply and promote their provisions in support of road safety;

Resolve to translate commitments into measurable improvements in safety performance and outcomes, and to embed road safety as a core component of sustainable development and human well-being;

Decide to review progress through the established reporting processes of the General Assembly and to undertake a further comprehensive review no later than 2030.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

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