Islamabad, February 08, 2023 (PPI-OT):The President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi while addressing the inaugural sessions of the Road Safety Conference for Parliamentarians here at Serena Islamabad today said that the conference is being convened at a very critical point in time, when the country has faced numerous consecutive road accidents in the recent days resulting in tremendous loss of life and injuries.
He said that it is time that we seriously and collectively address the huge mortality and health impact of road traffic crashes, and an urgent need for cooperation by the stakeholders across many relevant sectors – safe mobility for people (public transport), adequate safe road infrastructure, and pathways for pedestrians and cyclists.
He was addressing the conference being held with the collaboration of Pakistan Parliman (A project of GIZ) at Islamabad. IPC brought together international parliamentarians from 9 countries and international organization to address the pressing issue of road safety, in Islamabad- Pakistan.
Arif Alvi while lamenting the rapid increase in devastating road accidents taking away lives of many, and leaving behind many injured said that the rescue teams and the traffic law enforcement bodies should thoroughly investigate such incidents as well as follow up by the supporting health units on the rehabilitation of road traffic crash victims, he added
“Legislators must take an immediate review to the subject and come out with recommendations that can actually contribute to the global plan of halving the increasing number of deaths and injuries by road crashes” Alvi commented while addressing the global conference.
“We must work together across many sectors as governments, parliamentarians, international agencies, civil society organizations, donors and the private sector to contribute to curtail this menace. He said that improving road and vehicle standards, and implementation on speed limits and use of seats belts should be improvised. He also stressed in alternate modes of transport.
Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, President International Parliamentarians Congress while lauding the tireless efforts of the Secretary General, IPC the entire team of the IPC and the pioneer members of this Forum for investing their trust in IPC’s vision and mission.
The Chairman Senate also expressed gratitude for the cooperation and support extended by the current Vice Presidents of the IPC, H.E Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, Chair of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, and H.E Mohammad Ali Houmed, President of National Assembly of Djibouti.
President Arif Alvi and Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani while addressing the Global Conference expressed deepest condolences and sympathy for such a tragic loss of life and property in Turkiye and Syria due to the devastating earthquake. Sanjrani said that we must converge the efforts of enhancing road safety and to use them to our benefit through forums such as the IPC.
Chairman Senate showed his confidence in the IPC in achieving the Global Road Safety Performance Targets as identified by the UN General Assembly in 2017, cutting down road and traffic related deaths by 50% by 2030. “I believe it is surely attainable. Along with SDGs target 3.6 and other global efforts, it is time that we must work together to achieve these goals and targets to save precious lives” he added.
Sanjrani on the occasion introduced ParliTalk, an initiative of IPC in collaboration with The Truth International. He said that its aim is to achieve short-term and long-term goals by framing important topics for debate by parliamentarians under the thematic areas of the IPC. “The presentations and ideas under ParliTalk will showcase the innovative and out of the box approach to our global challenges” he added.
The Secretary General, International Parliamentarian Congress (IPC) Sitara Ayaz welcomed the August gathering and thanked Chairman Senate for extending full support to IPC in making their endeavours come to life. She thanked the President for addressing this important topic at this crucial point in time, while the world is going through natural disasters
The European Union to Pakistan, Team Leader, Governance and Education Dr. Riina Kionka and the President Inter Parliamentary Union Duarte Pacheco also addressed the meeting to and emphasized on implementation of road safety measures and mentioned the UN resolution on Improving Global Road Safety. Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Rod Safety, H. E. Jean Todt also participated in the conference through video link.
The Parliamentarians from Chad, Uganda, Jorden, Spain, Guinea, Libya and Algeria addressed the conference, shared their experiences and perspectives on road safety issues in their respective countries and engaged in discussions with experts and stakeholders from around the world.
The conference is expected to result in a number of important outcomes, including the adoption of a declaration on road safety, the establishment of a network of parliamentarians committed to promoting road safety, and the identification of priority areas for future cooperation and action. The conference will continue for one more day, providing a unique opportunity for international parliamentarians, delegates, experts, and stakeholders to come together to address the critical issue of road safety.
For more information, contact:
Senate of Pakistan
H.No.7, Cat-II, G-8/2, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9204564534
Fax: +92-51-9205703
E-mail: senate@comsats.net.pk
Website: www.senate.gov.pk