Monday, 21 May 2012
Each day, nearly 3,500 people die on the roads. Tens of thousands more are injured. Families are broken apart. The futures of young people are dashed. Road accidents have become the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29. This is an unacceptable price to pay for mobility.
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was started by RoadPeace in 1993. Since then it has been observed and promoted worldwide by several NGOs, including the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) and its associated organizations.
On 26 October 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a global day to be observed every third Sunday in November each year, making it a major advocacy day for road traffic injury prevention.
Theme for 2011:
'From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade'
Let's make 2011-2020 a decade to remember!
In May this year, governments, international agencies, civil society organizations and private companies from more than 100 countries launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. Road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.3 million people every year and injure or disable as many as 50 million more. The primary goal of the Decade is to save 5 million lives over the ten-year period.
WHO and the UN Road Safety Collaboration encourage governments and nongovernmental organizations around the world to commemorate this day as a means of drawing the public’s attention to road traffic crashes, their consequences and costs, and the measures which can be taken to prevent them.
Additional links:
Edited: Gregory Cornwell & Siri Robin
"Strangely, it was exactly what bored me that at the same time excited me."
May
8-9 May
Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War
12-13 May
World Migratory Bird Day [UNEP]
15 May
International Day of Families
17 May
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day [ITU]
21 May
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
22 May
International Day for Biological Diversity
29 May
International Day of UN Peacekeepers
31 May
World No-Tobacco Day [WHO]
Click here
(Complete list of UN Observances)
When the Security Council approaches the final stage of negotiation of a draft resolution the text is printed in blue... What's in Blue helps interested UN readers keep up with what might soon be "in blue".
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485