Your Excellency Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch,
Your Royal Highness, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif Al Saud, Minister of the Interior,
Honourable Minister Abdessamad Kayouh,
UN Special Envoy Jean Todt,
Excellencies, distinguished guests, dear colleagues and friends,
Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
I am honoured that so many have joined us today, and I thank the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting this very important conference.
I’m very sorry that I can’t be with you in person, although I tried my best.
I commend His Majesty the King for initiating the Mohammed the Sixth International Prize for Road Safety. WHO is honoured to be the first recipient of this prize.
Nearly 1.2 million people lose their lives on the world’s roads every year.
They set out on a journey like all of us do every day – to work, to school, to go shopping, to see a friend or to go on holiday – and that journey becomes their last.
Road traffic crashes are the leading killer of children and young people.
This tragedy is compounded by the fact that most of these are preventable deaths.
We know that change is possible.
The Decade of Action has shown that countries, no matter their size or economy, can implement policies to prevent traffic collisions and save lives.
Over the past decade, ten countries reduced the number of traffic deaths by at least half: Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Denmark, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, the Russian Federation, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
And 35 more countries reduced deaths by over 30 percent.
In recent years, China and India both strengthened the safety standards for vehicles manufactured and sold in their markets;
Mexico adopted landmark legislation guaranteeing equitable access to safe and healthy mobility;
And the United Arab Emirates and Viet Nam invested heavily in public transport.
Cities such as Bogota, Kigali and Paris have redesigned urban infrastructure to prioritize the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
These are just a few examples.
I commend all of you who have worked, and are working, so hard for these results.
You have demonstrated that we can make safer roads a reality.
But we are not there yet. Far more needs to be done to meet the Sustainable Development Goal targets of halving road traffic deaths globally by 2030.
And despite progress in some countries, much of the world is heading the wrong way.
In the past decade, road traffic deaths in Africa increased by 17%.
This is because in Africa and elsewhere, many countries are expanding transport systems designed for cars, not people.
A safe systems approach to mobility puts people and safety first, with a focus on mass transit and other forms of efficient and sustainable transport.
It prioritises the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users, who account for more than half of all deaths.
Safe and sustainable transport systems have multiple other benefits.
They can help to reduce the burden of cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, boost access to jobs and education, and help fight climate change.
We know what works, and we must step up action to match the scale of the crisis.
The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 charts the way forward.
We all have a role to play in making the Global Plan a reality:
First, we call on governments to lead mobility strategies that are rooted in good data, backed by strong laws and sufficient funds, and that include all sectors of society;
Second, we call for young people to be included in decision-making, and to raise their voices for safer roads;
Third, we call on academia and civil society to generate evidence and hold leaders to account;
And fourth, we call on businesses to put safety and sustainability at the core of their value chains.
Your Highness, Your Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
In this complex and often divisive world, road safety is surely an issue that we can all rally around.
It can help make people healthy, cities sustainable, and societies equitable.
So, let me leave you with this vision.
This conference should be a fork in the road. There should be a "before Marrakesh" and an "after Marrakesh".
We know what needs to be done.
The solutions are not always easy or popular, but we know they work and that they save lives, and are a good long-term investment in sustainability and productivity.
Together, we can work for a world in which everyone reaches their destination safely.
Shukraan jazeelan. Merci beaucoup. I thank you. I wish the best for the conference, and I hope this will be a game changer.