It will come as little surprise to hear that the world’s poorest nations - officially termed the ‘Least Developed Countries’ in UN jargon - suffer the highest rates of road deaths. Across the 49 LDCs – countries such as Angola, Niger, Liberia and Mali – road death rates are 30 to 60 times higher than those of the developed world. All too often, road safety is a neglected issue for these countries. However, at the UN in November, the Make Roads Safe campaign was given the chance to brief LDC representatives on the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’ and preparations for the 2009 Moscow Ministerial.The meeting looked at ways to improve the targeting of donor aid. And road safety got a rare mention. Delegates raised concerns that despite having the highest rates of road fatalities, road safety is often overlooked in aid programmes for the least developed nations. Addressing the session, Simon Scott Division Head of the OECD Development Cooperation Directorate said changes are needed.
“Road accidents are one of the neglected areas we must concentrate on,” he said “Road traffic fatalities in LDCs account for a large burden on health systems, but this is an issue which often is not addressed.” Mr. Scott’s comments were part of a wider presentation on Official Development Assistance to the LDCs.
In a briefing with the UN Office of the High Representative for the LDCs, the Make Roads Safe campaign received recognition that the issue is an important and pressing concern. There were also encouraging signs that through their UN representatives, the LDCs as a group could play a role in helping to push forward an emerging road safety agenda over the coming months.
