Yesterday, 19 November 2017, marked the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, founded by the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR). NGOs, governments, corporations, and others around the world joined together in remembering the many millions killed and injured on the world’s roads, together with their families, friends, and many others who are also affected. The theme of this year’s World Day of Remembrance was “2020 Target: Reduce Road Fatalities and Serious Injuries by 50%.”
The Alliance was honored to receive an Irish Road Victims Association (IRVA) Global ‘Light of Hope’ award for the work that it does to provide a platform for more than 200 road safety and road victim NGOs throughout the world, facilitating the sharing of expertise and encouraging all to reach the targets set out in the UN plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety and in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Other recipients included Rod King of the 20’s Plenty for Us campaign and Shane Ross, Minister for Transport, Ireland.
The award was presented at IRVA’s annual award ceremony, which is held on the World Day of Remembrance at the Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar, Republic of Ireland.
IRVA was itself presented with an award from Rescue Organisation Ireland, a member of World Rescue Organisation.
Lotte Brondum, Executive Director of the Alliance, said: “The Alliance is proud to receive this award on such a significant day in the road safety calendar. In particular, we are honored that our work to empower road safety NGOs has been recognized in the context of the SDGs and the Decade of Action.
“We thank IRVA for this award and congratulate them on the wonderful work that they do supporting victims and advocating for them. We are delighted to be a part of this touching tribute that remembers those lives injured and lost on our roads and acknowledges the work of the emergency services that play such a strong role in preventing more deaths on the road.
“The World Day of Remembrance, where we remember those killed in road traffic crashes, is by definition a solemn one as we remember those tragically lost in road traffic crashes. The ‘Light of Hope’ award recognizes that these tragedies should not be in vain and that we must channel efforts into ensuring that more families around the world can be spared the pain of losing a loved one in this needless and tragic way.
“We also congratulate IRVA on their award from Rescue Organisation Ireland.”
Donna Price, Founder and Chairperson of IRVA, said: “The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a key date for IRVA. Through it, we raise awareness of the plight of road victims and their families and the devastation caused by totally preventable road crashes. With our Global ‘Light of Hope’ awards, we recognize those organizations, such as the Alliance, who are working to prevent more deaths on the road as we work together towards zero road deaths and serious injury. To each of us, the bereaved families who have experienced the traumatic and violent death of a loved one in a totally avoidable crash, one death or serious injury on our roads is one too many.”
Notes for editors:
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety was established in 2012 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and NGO members of the United Nations (UN) Road Safety Collaboration, as an umbrella organization for road safety and road victim NGOs around the world. It currently represents more than 200 members in 85-plus countries, ranging from large NGOs working across a number of countries to small grassroots organizations resourced by volunteers. It works through networking and sharing, advocacy, and capacity building.
The Irish Road Victims Association (IRVA) is an NGO that provides free information and support to those bereaved or injured by road traffic collisions and works to reduce dangers on our roads. IRVA holds a ceremony each year on the third Sunday in November, on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, to remember lost loved ones, the injured, and also the hard work of emergency services. Following the ceremony, the organization holds the IRVA Global “Light of Hope” award ceremony.
For enquiries, please contact:
Liz Man, Communication Manager: liz@roadsafetyngos.org
