UNITED NATIONS, July 21– The UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on Monday reaffirming the global target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 percent by 2030 and committing to take the necessary measures to achieve the goals.
The draft resolution, titled “Progress declaration of the high-level meeting on improving global road safety,” was passed with a vote of 162 in favor, 1 against and no abstentions.
It recalled UNGA resolutions on improving global road safety, including resolution 74/299 of Aug. 31, 2020, in which the General Assembly proclaimed the period 2021-2030 as the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, with the target of preventing at least 50 percent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
This photo taken on July 20, 2026 shows a view of the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on improving global road safety at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on Monday reaffirming the global target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 percent by 2030 and committing to take the necessary measures to achieve the goals. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
The resolution called for promoting road safety education, safety culture, health literacy and awareness; ensuring that all road and transport infrastructure projects financed through domestic and international resources meet minimum safety standards; and strengthening safeguards, standards and accountability mechanisms to prevent the construction or upgrading of infrastructure that exposes road users to unacceptable risk, and to ensure that safety is systematically considered throughout the project life cycle.
Road crashes are still the leading cause of death among children and young people aged five to 29, and in 2025 alone, more than 1.1 million lost their lives on the world’s roads, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, addresses the General Assembly high-level meeting on improving global road safety at the UN headquarters in New York, July 20, 2026. The UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on Monday reaffirming the global target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 percent by 2030 and committing to take the necessary measures to achieve the goals. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
“We owe it to them to act,” he told the UNGA high-level meeting on improving global road safety.
Jean Todt, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for road safety, said that “ten years ago, I warned this Assembly that road crashes were one of the great emergencies of our time … We adopted an ambitious objective: to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 percent.”
“Resolutions have been adopted. Commitments have been made. Declarations have been endorsed. But, actions are still too poor,” he warned.
