WHO, UN Fund for Road Safety win Mohammed VI International Road Safety Prize

The World Health Organization and the UN Fund for Road Safety received the first Mohammed VI International Road Safety Prize, a distinction aimed at rewarding innovative initiatives in the fight against road insecurity.

The distinction was awarded at the opening of the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.

Each of the two international institutions received $250,000, in recognition for their efforts to curb road accidents.

This award will be given every four years at the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.

Speaking to participants, WHO director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the Royal initiative to set up the Mohammed VI International Prize for Road Safety, dedicated to promoting efforts for safer roads and welcomed the prize as an “honor” for WHO.

He urged more action to improve road safety, while deploring that 1 million people lose their lives annually in “preventable” road accidents.

“Change is possible,” he underscored, particularly through the implementation of policies to prevent traffic collisions and save lives.

For his part, the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, welcomed the fact that this major event was being held in Africa for the first time, to discuss such a crucial issue for all countries.

He emphasized that despite efforts, road accidents remain a major challenge that requires urgent action, pointing out the vast gap between promises and reality.

He argued that this situation is likely to worsen with the continuous increase in the number of vehicles and urban development.