On Wednesday 30 August 2023, the Alliance, on behalf of its members and together with the Permanent Mission of El Salvador to the United Nations and MOVES, presented a painting, titled #RethinkMobility to UN Secretary-General, António Guterres as a call to action for governments and international authorities to prioritize safe mobility and road safety on the global agenda.
The artwork, by Salvadoran artist Gerardo Gómez, was commissioned for the Eighth Global Meeting of Nongovernmental Organizations Advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims in March 2023. It depicts a world where everyone has access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable mobility. It incorporates Alliance member NGOs’ words and shows road safety interventions that are needed to enable every person to access education, work, and the choices that facilitate them to achieve their maximum potential. These include 30 km/h zones and lower speed limits, pedestrian facilities and traffic calming, and helmet laws with promotion and enforcement.
The presentation of the painting to Secretary-General Guterres occurred as UN Member States prepare for the upcoming SDG Summit. Road safety is specifically addressed in SDG 3.6 and 11.2. Moreover, safe roads and mobility are key enablers for a significant number of SDGs, including decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, and climate action. It’s concerning that safe mobility is overlooked in the final draft of the political declaration that will be adopted at the SDG Summit. We call on governments to address road safety as an issue that is integrated, indivisible, and interlinked to the full SDG agenda. Civil society can play a role by advocating with their governments to attend the SDG Summit, include safe mobility in their country statements and commitments, and implement evidence-based road safety interventions to help them achieve the SDGs in their countries by 2030.
Lotte Brondum, the Alliance’s Executive Director, who presented the painting on behalf of the NGOs, said at the meeting, “By 2050, two-thirds of the world will live in cities. Safe mobility, especially safe cycling, walking, and public transport, are enablers for many of the SDGs, including those addressing health, climate, and equity.”
Read more about the artist and the meaning of the painting HERE.
Read Alliance members’ call to action HERE.
Read how you can raise road safety and safe mobility ahead of the SDG Summit HERE.
