The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt is visiting the Philippines from 8 – 11 September and the Kingdom of Thailand from 17 – 20 September to drum up support and boost coordination and action to prevent deaths from road crashes across Asia and the Pacific.
In the Philippines, he delivered a keynote speech at the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Conference hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He is also meeting ministers, officials, civil society representatives and business leaders, a group of which – from the motorcycle transportation, taxi and delivery services industry, namely Angkas, Grab, JoyRide, Lalamove, and MoveIt – has also affirmed their commitment towards improving road safety in the Philippines (Statement of Commitment – Road Safety). In Thailand, he will meet government officials, UN partners and representatives from business and civil society to advance road safety actions that save lives.
With nearly 700,000 fatalities each year, the region accounts for more than 60% of the world’s 1.2 million annual road deaths. Road crashes are the leading killer of young people aged 15–29 and claim a life every minute. Motorcyclists make up the largest proportion of road fatalities. In many Asian countries, and globally, deaths among motorcyclists increased by a third in the decade 2011 to 2021.
In the decade to 2021, road deaths in Thailand fell by approximately 20% based on reported data from Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Yet data from the World Health Organization shows that with 25 road deaths per 100,000 population, Thailand’s fatality rate remains far higher than the global average. In the Philippines, fatalities declined by 13% from 2019 to 2021 based on data from the Department of Health.
“World leaders committed to halving road deaths by 2030. We are off-track but it can still be done. Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Viet Nam all reduced road deaths quickly and significantly, and Asia holds the promise of life-saving innovations. Yet we need more urgent action to end this silent pandemic,” Todt said.
“The UN warmly welcomes Thailand’s initiative to step up enforcement of the helmet law for motorcycle riders, a move that will save lives and protect families across the country. The UN commends the Royal Thai Government for prioritizing road safety as a matter of both public health and sustainable development. As highlighted in recent discussions, stricter enforcement of helmet-wearing rules is a cost-effective, life-saving intervention that can drastically reduce fatalities and injuries among motorcyclists, who represent the majority of road crash victims in Thailand”, said Ms. Michaela Friberg-Storey, the UN Resident Coordinator of Thailand.
The UN encourages governments to implement evidence-based interventions that follow an Integrated Safe Systems approach in reducing road deaths.
“Efforts in road safety should be intersectional. We need to look at the bigger picture by not just focusing on engineering but also on enforcing important policies and legal frameworks, while strengthening road safety education across all sectors,” according to UN Philippines Resident Coordinator Arnaud Peral.
The Philippine government has updated their Philippine Road Safety Action Plan (PRSAP) which looks at reducing road traffic deaths by 35% by 2028. UN Philippines, through the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), supports the PRSAP in developing interventions related to road safety management, safer road and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users, and post-crash responses.
UNICEF is also providing technical and advocacy support on child road traffic injury prevention programs including modelling for safe school zones, stronger traffic data gathering, and road safety education – among others. In addition, WHO is supporting national government agencies in the development of road safety frameworks at the local level.
“Governments must lead with strong strategies, policies, laws and coordination. All sectors must be involved, especially transport and health, which must work closely together,” the Special Envoy emphasized.
Road safety also has adverse impacts on the economy. Globally, road crashes cost countries around 5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In ASEAN countries, road crashes are estimated at USD 15 billion according to an report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
“Missing investment means more lives lost every day and governments must invest on a scale that fits the scale of the crisis. The latest global funding crisis for development will compound the problem. So, we must innovate. To unlock new funds, we must frame road safety as investments in growth, health and development” Peral added.
The Special Envoy’s mission aligns with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to halve road deaths by 2030. It builds upon the Marrakech Declaration on Global Road Safety that was adopted by more than 100 governments at the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco in February 2025. The Declaration calls on governments to make road safety a political priority, ensure sustained funding, and advance evidence-based actions.
