17/05/2023

Authorities participated in the "Re-Thinking Mobility" meeting to promote safe mobility

Within the framework of the Global Road Safety Week, declared by the United Nations, the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez (FGR) in coordination with the PAHO/WHO Representation in Uruguay and the support of the International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee (CITA) and the National Road Safety Unit (UNASEV), organized a meeting to "Rethink Mobility" in order to work towards active and safe mobility, according to the recommendations of the Global Road Safety Plan.

The event was aimed at transit and mobility authorities of the departmental governments, as well as representatives of the National Road Safety Board, the Congress of Mayors and agents directly involved in the issue. The day began with a discussion with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Public Health; the president of UNASEV, Alejandro Draper; the president of the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, Maria Fernanda Rodriguez; on behalf of PAHO/WHO, Dr. Wilson Benia; and Marcelo Martínez on behalf of the organization CITA.

This day put on the agenda of the participating actors the whole context of the theoretical framework proposed by the United Nations and had as a high point a workshop led by Eng. Luis Silva Domingo to analyze the opportunities of working in the territory of the global recommendations.

These recommendations are based on the implementation of the Safe Systems paradigm for road safety, which promotes safer roads, safer users, safer vehicles, safer speeds and better emergency response to accidents. Increasing enforcement, reducing speed, and developing the capacities of decision makers are some of the key elements to meet the objectives.

"As a civil society organization that has dedicated the last 16 years exclusively to promote safe mobility in Uruguay and the region, we consider this United Nations mandate key to provide tools that contribute to an improved approach to road safety from the perspective of the territories and from a multi-sectoral approach focused on safe systems," said Maria José Pessano, Executive Director of the Fundación Gonzalo Rodriguez.

The PAHO/WHO Advisor, Dr. Wilson Benia, pointed out that "from a health promotion perspective, we are called to join inter-institutional efforts to offer citizens the most basic element of health promotion: that the healthiest decisions are the easiest ones. The joint effort and explicit commitment of the government agencies present, organized civil society and international cooperation can make possible a mobility ecosystem that takes care of people based on the Safe Systems Approach proposed by the WHO".