04/08/2022

COMIXED international cooperation

As recommended in the Global Road Action Plan 2020-2030, at the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez we work in a network with international organizations, companies and governments to incorporate or strengthen policies that comprehensively address the complexity of the issue and ensure its sustainability through alliances and the establishment of local and regional networks.

In this sense, and thanks to the support of the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation, we succeeded for the first time in adding road safety as an element of international cooperation, this time with the government of El Salvador. To achieve this, we coordinated a project with the authorities of both countries to help improve road safety in El Salvador, taking advantage of Uruguay's experience.

The government of El Salvador has made a commitment to road safety and is therefore promoting different strategic measures under its National Road Safety Plan 2021-2030 aimed at resolving the issue of road accidents.

The history of cooperation with the government of El Salvador dates back to 2021 and, thanks to the commitment of the Foreign Ministry of Uruguay and El Salvador, progress has been made to generate a joint work plan with the Vice Ministry of Transport (VMT), the governing body of road safety in the country, including the Departmental Road Safety Councils (CODESEVI) and the Fund for Attention to Victims of Traffic Accidents (FONAT) in 2 areas of work: Technical assistance and cooperation in child road safety: includes support, accompaniment and advice from the Foundation to FONAT to develop and strengthen road safety policies for children and adolescents in the country.
Through a phased planning process, the Foundation collaborates with El Salvador in:

• Documentary review of the National Road Safety Plan 2021-2030 and contribution according to the objectives of the CODESEVI Global Plan, work in management and strategic planning, inclusion of child road safety, specific knowledge sections on the subject - parallel and complementary to the work with CODESEVI.
• Internal capacity building at national and sub-national levels on child road safety, safe driving for motorcyclists, safe school environments including safe infrastructure challenges, road safety education and all other relevant topics that are understood to be of collaboration for the advancement of the country.
• Produce, manage and achieve the economic viability of the V edition of the International Forum on Child Road Safety - FISEVI in its El Salvador Chapter. To have a Technical Secretariat for the event, in charge of carrying out the technical-institutional aspects.

This project, which is already underway, plans to train more than 60 officials (technicians and professionals) from the territory with responsibilities for issuing driver's licenses, road safety and road safety management; 20 officials from national government institutions related to transportation, health and education; and five officials from the national government involved in communication, dissemination and media relations.