Other News
Tunisia is the 60th member country of the International Transport Forum. The ITF’s Council of Ministers unanimously welcomed Tunisia into ITF membership on 23 May 2019, at its annual session during the ITF Summit, making the North African nation the ITF’s second member state on the continent, after Morocco.
The ITF’s Press Release can be found here.
On 8 November 2018, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe celebrated 50 years of signing the 1968 Conventions.
At the turn of their 50th anniversary, the Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic and on Road Signs and Signals from 1968 are more relevant than ever. Whether helping to address the most critical road safety needs, or facilitating the development of automated driving functionalities, reference to these legal texts, which are evolving with technological developments, is a necessity for countries around the world.
The two Conventions have a global scope and are important frameworks facilitating international road traffic through uniform traffic rules and harmonized road signs, signals, symbols and markings. With the increase in motor vehicles observed over the past decades and its expected rise in emerging economies – contributing to the anticipated doubling of the number of cars on the roads worldwide by 2040 – the principles of the Conventions are key to improving road safety standards around the world, particularly in low and medium-income countries, where 90% of road fatalities occur.
You can see the full UNECE communication here.
More than 1 300 participants from 74 countries on five continents, including 40 Ministers with responsibility for transport attended last week the International Transport Forum’s Summit on “Transport Safety and Security” in Leipzig, Germany, held under the presidency of Latvia. The Summit spanned over three tightly packed days, which included high-level events.
Among the highlights were a joint Declaration by Ministers from the 59 ITF member countries, in which they underlined the critical importance of keeping transport safe, secure and resilient in order to enable societies and economies to prosper; a three-point plan to reduce the number of road deaths proposed by HRH Prince Michael of Kent and the publication of the 2018 Road Safety Annual Report.
More information can be found here.
The World Bank, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and the International Transport Forum (ITF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 23 May 2018 in Leipzig, for the establishment of the first regional Road Safety Observatory in Africa.
The MoU follows a resolution signed in February 2018 by Benin, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania, confirming their interest in the project. These seven African countries are currently working on finalising the Observatory’s governance structure and funding mechanism.
The MoU signing was attended by Morocco’s Vice-Minister of Transport, Mr. Mohamed Najib Boulif, whose country has offered to host the Observatory.
The launch of the Observatory was announced on the opening day of the International Transport Forum’s Summit – the world’s largest gathering of transport ministers and policy makers – which this year focuses specifically on transport safety and security.
The full Press Release can be found here.