The Director of the sub-regional office for North Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Zuzana Brixiova Schwidrowski, praised Morocco’s efforts in the field of road safety and the fight against road accidents.
Intervening at the 2nd edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Awards (Marrakech, September 25-26), Schwidrowski stated that “the Kingdom of Morocco is significantly contributing to the promotion of road safety in Africa.”
Schwidrowski recalled that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has proclaimed the period 2021-2030 the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, to reduce the global rate of deaths and serious injuries resulting from traffic accidents, stressing that traffic accidents represent a global scourge that requires innovative local solutions and the establishment of credible data management systems, in addition to the use of data for the development of appropriate policies within the framework of respect for privacy.
For his part, the United Nations Secretary General’s (UNGS) Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, stressed that the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) can contribute to the fight against road accidents, reducing congestion and ensuring traffic fluidity, underlining that artificial intelligence can also be effective in early warning and ticketing.
“This 2023 edition of the Kofi Annan Awards is of crucial importance for the participating countries and bodies, as it is a platform for examining the importance of Artificial Intelligence in the prevention of road accidents on the African continent,” noted Todt.
The UN official also shed light on Africa’s strategic orientations within the framework of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to cut the number of road deaths by 50% by 2030, pointing out that some African countries have successfully taken up the challenge of promoting digitization.
The United Nations Secretary General’s (UNGS) Special Envoy for Road Safety also stressed the need to strengthen and implement practices and innovative projects in the field of digitalization, emphasizing the importance of implementing new strategies, innovative ideas, and legislation to promote the development of road infrastructures.
Organized by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the National Road Safety Agency (NARSA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, and the Kofi Annan Foundation, the second edition of the Awards aims to encourage key stakeholders to develop and implement innovative ideas and initiatives to save lives on roads all across the continent.
The awards will also honor governments, private stakeholders, civil society organizations, and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to road safety in Africa.
It should be recalled that Morocco won the 1st edition of the Kofi Annan Awards in Accra, Ghana, in 2022 in recognition of the Kingdom’s efforts and African leadership in road safety.