FIM at United Nations in New York

The Delegates first attended a session of the UN General Assembly which passed a new resolution on road safety. The resolution contains many recommendations and comments including the following that concerns motorcycling:

“The General Assembly
(…)  
Encourages   Member States to develop and implement comprehensive legislation and policies on motorcycles, including on training, driver licensing, vehicle registration, working conditions and the use by motorcyclists of helmets and personal protection equipment, within the existing international standards, given the disproportionally high and increasing numbers of motorcycle deaths and injuries globally, particularly in developing countries.”  

Delegates then attended a ceremony to mark the foundation of a new United Nations Trust fund for road safety. The FIA Foundation made the first donation, presenting a cheque for ten million US dollars.

The UN General Assembly also commended the Swedish government for its offer to host the next UN inter-ministerial conference on road safety in 2020.

This was one of the first topics discussed in the UN RSC meetings that followed the UN General Assembly session. Lena Kling, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, confirmed that she had held discussions with FIM Commission Director Jesper Christensen. The Swedish authorities will support an event alongside the 2020 conference to focus on motorcycling safety, particularly in middle and low-income countries.

Greig Craft from the AIP Foundation in Vietnam* reported on the ten years of this work. Some 500,000 head injuries have been avoided and 15,000 lives saved over this time. The government of Vietnam estimates that there has been a saving worth three and a half billion US dollars in medical costs to the economy.

Delegates also received a report on the success of the “Stop the Crash!” event in China and the plans for the next edition in June to be held in Buenos Aires. This campaign focuses on vehicle safety including motorcycles as well as cars.

 * In 2010 the FIM awarded the first ever edition of its Road Safety award to the AIP Foundation at the 2010 FIM Gala in Estoril, Portugal.

FIM/CAP Communication