The High Level Panel for Road Safety (HLP) of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) met in Paris on Thursday 1 July, at the FIA headquarters, in the presence of many prominent figures including:

• Jean Todt, FIA President and United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety;
• Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary, UNECE (by videoconference);
• Inger Andersen, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (by videoconference);
• Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission (by videoconference);
• Bertrand Badré, Financing specialist;
• Irina Bokova, former Director General of UNESCO;
• Felipe Calderón, Former President of Mexico and President of the FIA Environment and Sustainable Development Commission;
• Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (by videoconference);
• Dan Chen, Vice-President and General Manager 3M Transportation Safety Division, 3M (by videoconference);
• Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris;
• Gloria Hutt Hesse, Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile (by videoconference);
• Maurice Lévy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Publicis Groupe;
• Dr. Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage, Kenya (by videoconference);
• Luis Alberto Moreno, Former President, Inter-American Development Bank (by videoconference);
• Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;
• Lord George Robertson, Chairman, FIA Foundation (by videoconference);
• Professor Gérard Saillant, President of the ICM, sports doctor and former President of the FIA Medical Commission;
• Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice President for South Asia;
• Carlos Slim Domit, President, Grupo Carso (by videoconference);
• Sir Martin Sorrell, President, S4 Capital;
• Dr Young Tae Kim, Secretary General of the International Transport Forum (ITF);
• Jorge Viegas, President of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM);
• Thierry Willemarck, FIA Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism.

The HLP is an FIA body, made up of 85 leading figures from the public and private sectors and committed to improving global road safety. Since its creation at the initiative of Jean Todt in November 2015, the HLP has been working in particular to finance road safety measures, with the main emphasis on low- and middle-income countries.

For example, it supported the project to create a dedicated United Nations Road Safety Fund, which was established in April 2018 at a United Nations General Assembly in New York, in the presence and under the impetus of Jean Todt.

As a reminder, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, hosted a meeting of the FIA HLP at the Elysée Palace on 1 October 2018, during which he announced a contribution from France to this Fund.

Held during the launch year of the United Nations Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, the meeting on 1 July focused on priority actions to be conducted to bring about a real change in mentality, which is a necessary condition for a lasting improvement in the safety of road users. Among the topics discussed, the issue of financing essential investments and the corresponding mobilisation of the private sector, the protection of the most vulnerable users, and support to governments for the development of the required capacities were the subject of in-depth discussions among the participants, with the aim of building tangible solutions in the service of a common goal: saving lives.

As far as vulnerable road users are concerned, FIA Secretary General for Automobile Mobility and Tourism ad interim Onika Miller presented the FIA Safe & Affordable Helmet Programme to the audience. The initiative aims to facilitate the deployment of motorcycle helmets that meet UN safety standards, that are comfortable in hot and humid climates, and available at a target selling price of around 20 USD. Some HLP Members have already showed their support, such as Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage of Kenya Dr Amina Mohamed and Minister for Innovation and Technology of Hungary László Palkovics who attended the launch event in Kenya on 24 June. The Panel recognised the potential impact of large-scale deployment of such an initiative.

Jean Todt, FIA President, declared:

“More than ever, it is time to move from awareness to accountability if we truly want the Second Decade of Action to achieve its goals. Starting now, action on the ground must mobilise us all so that a true culture of safety on the roads is finally imposed on all stakeholders. Each day, thousands of lives are at stake on the roads. From now on, let us ensure that every day is a step forward, so that there will be no need for a Third Decade.”