Latin America & the Caribbean

President Óscar Arias Addresses Regional Meeting
X Réunion del Mecanismo de Tuxtla
the Importance of Road Safety in the Development Agenda

During the recent X Réunion of Mecanismo de Dialogo y Concertación de Tuxtla held in Tabasco, Mexico, heads of state and their cabinet members gathered to discuss Plan Puebla Panama (PPP), the MesoAmérican regional development plan. President Óscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica, a champion of safe roads and Honorary Chair of the Transitional Commission for Road Safety in Latin America and the Caribbean, stressed the importance of including road safety in regional development plans. President Óscar Arias, was joined by Karla Gonzalez, Minister of Public Works and Transport, who addressed the group on the road traffic fatality and injury epidemic. Ms. Gonzalez urged the MesoAmérican leaders to include road safety in the infrastructure of the proposed Plan Puebla Panama. The Minister advocated for the interests of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users in the region calling for bike paths, footpaths and roadway barriers designed to separate these groups from vehicular traffic. President Óscar Arias said that road safety was not only important but that the task of improving road safety in the region is "doable". Read the full article as it appeared in the Costa Rican press ►

Second Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Forum

On December 5th and 6th, 2007 the Transitional Commission held the 2nd Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Forum in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Stakeholders in regional road safety reviewed the work of the Transitional Commission and the foundational documents for the Regional Committee. The details of the charter and the stakeholders' recommendations on establishing the regional body are summarized in the meeting report.
2DO LAC Forum Meeting Summary (ESP)
2nd LAC Forum Meeting Summary (ENG)

Stakeholders attending the Forum adopted by consensus a resolution acknowledging the leadership of President Óscar Arias Sánchez and Karla Gonzalez on road safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. The resolution thanks President Arias for his service as Honorary Chair of the Transitional Commission and invites him to continue in this leadership role as the Regional Committee evolves. The document formally requests President Arias communicate with regional Heads of State and recommend that road safety be made a priority for their countries, that they support the Regional Committee and its efforts to build road safety capacity in the region, and that they prepare to participate in the 2009 United Nations Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. The resolution was initiated by Transitional Commission members, Lucien Jones, Vice Chairman and Convener of the Jamaican National Road Safety Council, and Nani Rodríguez, President of the Gonzalo Rodríguez Memorial
Foundation. Read the full resolution [English] [Spanish]

the Transitional Commission

In September 2006, the First Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholders Forum was held in San José, Costa Rica under the joint sponsorship of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), the National Road Safety Council of Costa Rica (COSEVI), the FIA Foundation, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank and the Global Road Safety Forum (GRSF). Representatives from 24 countries adopted the Declaration of San José, calling on national governments to implement the World Report recommendations, to commit to a regional, multi-sectoral approach to road safety, and urge development banks to require funding of road safety in concert with infrastructure development. The declaration provided for the formation of a Regional Committee to advance these goals, strengthen data collection capacity, and provide harmonization of road and vehicle safety legislation. A Transitional Commission, chaired by Óscar Arias Sánchez, President of the Republic of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, is now working to establish this Regional Committee.

Project Below 300 - Jamaica Can Do It!

A Project of the National Road Safety Council of Jamaica

On May 8, 2008, the Honorable Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica, signed off on Project Below 300 - Jamaica Can Do It, a road safety initiative by the National Road Safety Council of Jamaica. Dr. Lucien Jones, Vice Chairman and Convenor of the Council and Earl Jarrett, President of the Jamaica Automobile Association, are co-sponsors of the initiative that outlines key road safety interventions and strategies to be implemented through the private sector and Jamaica's Ministries of Health, Transport & Works, National Security, and Justice. The road safety activities were identified in a National Safety Council workshop held on April 17th at the Office of the Prime Minister. Project Below 300 - Jamaica Can Do It seeks to address emergency and trauma healthcare delivery, roadway design, driver training and certification, and Jamaica's traffic enforcement system. The overarching project objective is to reduce annual road traffic fatalities below 300 for 2008 and beyond. Prime Minister Golding agreed to serve as the Project Chair. Mrs. Hillary Alexander, Chief Technical Director of the Public Sector Modernisation Division of the Cabinet Office will provide implementation oversight on the project.