MEMPHIS, Tenn.,US, 28 August, 2017—The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety has graduated their second cohort of Alliance Advocates. The 14 graduates, from 14 different countries on five continents, have completed two weeks of intensive training in Memphis, Tennessee (USA), headquarters city for FedEx Express. They will now take the action plans they have created during the training to implement evidence-based, measurable, road safety advocacy programs that will save lives in their home countries and regions.
The action plans are expected to have a measurable impact on reducing road deaths in the advocates’ home countries. Road crashes account for 1.25 million deaths worldwide each year. Advocate action plans include:
The training is part of the Alliance Empowerment Program, a capacity-building initiative launched in 2016 that aims to improve the ability of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) advocating for road safety around the world.
“We are excited by the progress made by these 14 advocates during the past fortnight,” said Lotte Brondum, Administrative Director of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety. “We have seen tremendous growth in the confidence and capacity of delegates to influence the road safety agenda. The training has given them the tools, knowledge, and network and confidence to make a change that can contribute to reducing road deaths. They have developed a clear plan for what they want to change when they get home.”
“It has been a privilege once again to be able to share FedEx resources and expertise to equip and build the capacity of these 14 advocates,” said Neil Gibson, vice president, Corporate Communications, FedEx. “As part of our FedEx Cares commitment to invest $200 million in 200 communities worldwide by 2020, we are dedicated to saving lives and developing solutions that responsibly and sustainably make roads safer, and we look forward to seeing the impact they will have on road safety in their home countries.”
“I have learned how to make our work more professional, more efficient, goal-oriented, and evidence-based,” said David Razboršek, of Zavod VOZIM, Slovenia and one of the Alliance Advocates. “The whole process of advocacy in every phase will be more efficient and will result in saving more lives. I can’t wait to take that back. This is training that NGOs need to have. We are the second generation of graduates and I hope there will be 100 generations. It will change the way road safety NGOs work significantly and will have a positive snowball effect on road safety globally.”
The training is part of the wider Alliance Empowerment Program supported by FedEx, who provide financial support, expertise and resources to equip road safety NGOs to make a difference. As well as the Alliance Advocates Program, the Alliance Empowerment Program also incorporates online webinars, training and mentorship for all Alliance members to learn from leaders and experts on various topics in the road safety field.
CONTACT:
Liz Man
Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety
liz@roadsafetyngos.org
