12/03/2022

FISEVI shows a renewed commitment on the part of Colombia

FISEVI is an itinerant forum, whose objective is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences and good practices for the development of road safety management in different areas of action, from the creation and implementation of public policies to actions led by civil society organizations and/or private institutions. Previous editions of this Forum, the most important in Latin America and the Caribbean, were held in Uruguay 2014, Chile 2016 and Argentina 2018. leaving excellent results and articulated work with the governments of those countries, as has just happened in Colombia.

During the event there was also an important space regarding the attention to victims, since saving lives on the road requires not only prevention, but to be able to respond adequately in case of an accident in the so-called 'golden hour'.  This item on the agenda was accompanied by a rescue drill carried out by the Bogotá firefighters, in which they explained the protocols for dealing with accidents involving minors.


Conclusions of FISEVI 2022

One of the main conclusions of the Forum was the need to comprehensively address the problem of road safety, with solutions that integrate: speed management, greater control, safe infrastructure, understanding road accidents as a public health problem, and of course the legislative review that generates changes in public policy, which in Colombia is in line with the mandate to put children and adolescents at the center of the discussion.


For María Fernanda Rodríguez, founder and president of the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, "we are totally satisfied because we see how Colombia fulfilled its commitment to receive FISEVI, and fulfilled it by demonstrating great political will and receptiveness to the lessons learned at the Forum, to effectively advance towards child road safety that guarantees that the children of this country will grow up".

For his part, Nhan Tran, Head of Safety and Mobility at the World Health Organization, highlighted at the conclusion of the event that the participation of the highest levels of government in this type of forum demonstrates the multi-sectoral articulation to succeed in strategies that promote road safety.

"The first day I was here I was able to have a dialogue with the Minister of Transport, but at the same time I was also able to meet with the Deputy Ministers of Sport, Health and Education. From WHO we are promoting a multisectoral approach to improve transport safety and mobility, because we recognize that this requires perspectives from different sectors, it is not only the responsibility of the health sector to solve these problems. One of the indications of eventual success is to have the right commitment from different sectors. It was quite impressive that the First Lady of Colombia took time to participate in the event, this again shows that there is commitment and leadership at the highest levels," he said.

Within the framework of FISEVI, the National Road Safety Agency (ANSV) made a special call to promote the use of child restraint seats, which can reduce up to 90% the probability of severe injuries in the event of a traffic accident.

For his part, the director of the National Road Safety Agency, Luis Lota, presented the Declaration of Colombia, a document in which the country reaffirmed its commitment to achieving the global road safety goals for 2030 and pledged to continue developing policies, strategies and plans that address the needs of the child population on the roads. "These were three days of constructive dialogue in which the joint strategies for the road safety of children and adolescents between the ANSV and the different government entities were ratified," he said.
 
FISEVI was also configured as a peak moment in the commitment of the government of Iván Duque for the protection of children and adolescents; and reaffirmed the actions that have been advanced since its inception as the signing of the National Pact for Child Road Safety signed in 2019 by the Ministries of Transport, Education, the ANSV and the United Nations.

The fourth edition of FISEVI, which brought together more than 2,800 attendees in person and virtually, and was hosted by the government of Colombia, was attended by more than 60 experts from 12 countries, who shared, for three days, experiences and best practices, with the aim of leaving the knowledge installed in the country and actively working to eliminate deaths and serious injuries in children in traffic.