African, Carribean and Pacific states to work together on road safety

The second day of work in Luanda, as part of the summit of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACP), which will bring together heads of state next Friday and Saturday in the Angolan capital.

The day was marked by the Youth Forum where road safety and the role of youths in this matter were discussed. Every year the lives of approximately 1.25 million people are cut short as a result of a road traffic crash, with 90% of the fatalities occurring in low and middle-income countries, according to WHO.

The OACP Secretary General Georges Chikoti said that the approach of the governments of the organisation's member states, with regard to Road Safety, must be "inclusive and involve the private sector", universities, civil society and young people in general.

"It is essential to forge inclusive and effective alliances and implement programmes at the national level to overcome the challenges in terms of Road Safety," Chikoti said.

Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product. The newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020.

The Angolan Ministry of Youth and Sports vowed to continue implementing road safety awareness programmes in schools and religious centres, in a country where road safety is still a struggle.