11 March 2025
ONE VOICE - UNITED WE ARE STRONGER
The Global Ministerial Conferences on Road Safety always have a number of themes in their programme that focus on interdisciplinary topics that aim to preserve the health and lives of road users on the world's roads. They are focused on progress, development and a safer tomorrow. And yet. The opening is always painful. A minute of silence, a poem and speeches presenting the silent figures of deaths and injuries that convey the scale and pain of this road pandemic to the whole world. And that is where we come in, the organisations and associations of road traffic victims. We have come to give meaning, a name, a surname and a commitment to the numbers. We have come to say that we are an important stakeholder in the Road Safety family, co-creating and building an important role, meaning and purpose despite the losses.
We – FEVR, IRVP and FICVI – proudly presented a joint Manifesto and most importantly, realising that the draft of the Marrakech Declaration had forgotten to include us in the content, we came together connected and united and addressed a coordinated text to the main responsible persons to the WHO, the UN and to the national organisers. Even more. Each in our own way, with dignity, calm and pride, we presented the appeal on a personal level to a number of interlocutors and made clear our expectation of support. The support came, and in the final version of the Marrakech Declaration, road traffic victims were given their place. I will deliberately not mention the names of all those who made the effort at the conference, because we did so on behalf of all of you who trust us and who have elected and mandated us to represent your interests. I will just say a big THANK YOU to all of you!
Once again,we have shown and proved that we have matured, both personally and in our organisations. We have matured to engage in the fundamental challenges, rights and activities that we as road victim organisations address to those in charge and to the public. The socialising, the personal contact, the many meetings, the working sessions, the positive approaches, the cooperation and the networking are just some of the highlights that will undoubtedly be remembered by all of us. And we have gone one step further. We have allowed ourselves to remain different, respectful of each other and aware of our differences in culture, programmes, approaches, contents, perceptions and paths of our organisations. On the other hand, this diversity has led to the first drafts of a common Manifesto that could form the basis of our future joint ONE VOICE international action or platform.
Simply put, we will set out some basic premises that all road victim organisations agree with and fight for on the international stage, respecting that the paths, contents and programmes in our organisations and associations are still part of our rich plurality. FEVR members, as well as all the members of the Board present, proved once again that we are proud of our traditions, knowledge, experience and mission and that we have put ourselves back on the map with many other partner organisations. And at the end of the conference, two of our road victim organisations received an award for their video at the Film festival - Ireland for the WDoR video and Poland for the educational video Safe Senior.
Our presence and willingness to cooperate and network has made us visible and recognizable and I believe that together we can do many more good things for each and every one of us.
Robert Štaba
FEVR President
4TH GLOBAL MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE FOR ROAD SAFETY IN MARRAKECH, MOROCCO
FEVR at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference for Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco:
MANIFESTO "GLOBAL VOICE OF ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS"
At the 4th Global Ministerial Conference for Road Safety, we made significant strides inadvancing its mission to support road traffic victims. One of the key highlights was Katarzyna Dobrzanska-Junco, FEVR’s Vice President, presenting the joint manifesto of IRVP & FICVI & FEVR – Road victim organizations united with one voice – the Global Voice of Road Traffic Victims at the NGO Symposium organized by the Global Alliance NGOs for Road Safety. This presentation underscored the united effort to amplify the voices of road victims globally.
Road victim organizations united with one voice calling for:
- Strong Leadership & Funding for Safer Roads
- Compassionate Care for Crash Victims
- Tough Laws, Strict Enforcement
- Justice for Victims – No More Impunity
- Life-saving Emergency Response
Additionally, the shared manifesto was presented during the Parallel Sessions “Beyond Emergency Care: Strengthening Post-Crash Response, Protection, and Rehabilitation for Road Victims” by Viviam Perrone (Co-Chair of IRVP and representativeof Civil Association Madres del Dolor from Argentina) drawing attention to the need for improved global coordination in addressing the aftermath of road traffic crashes.
The manifesto was also presented by FEVR President Robert Štaba and FEVR Board Members to the Minister of Infrastructure for the Republic of Slovenia, Alenka Bratušek, who visited the FEVR, FICVI, and IRVP exhibition stand.
FEVR CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION
During an iRAP event “10 steps to 2030 for safer road infrastructure”, FEVR President Robert Štaba presented a special recognition FEVR CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION to Chairman of the iRAP Board of Trustees Miquel Nadal and iRAP CEO Greg Smith for the outstanding achievements of the iRAP team in advancing road safety worldwide*.
Statement by Robert Štaba, President of FEVR:
"A civilization and society truly committed to Vision Zero is guided by the only ethical and humane objective that matters. The sanctity of life and the value of health form the foundation of every individual and community.
At FEVR, we understand what it means to be an anonymous statistic in road safety reports. We give these numbers a name, a story, and a presence—because behind every statistic is a real person whose life mattered. They were our family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and loved ones. Experts say that a single life lost on the roads directly or indirectly impacts 113 people. That is far too many.
iRAP is not just a program—it is a philosophy that truly understands this reality. For years, iRAP has been our natural partner, inspiring governments and communities to improve road safety infrastructure, eliminate hazardous sections, and implement comprehensive safety solutions. Through expertise, passion, dedication, and unwavering persistence, the iRAP team has helped save at least 700,000 lives from death and serious injury worldwide.
As former board members of EuroRAP, we have followed their progress, innovation, and impact closely for years. Today, we express our deepest gratitude to our dear friends at iRAP. Every life saved is a testament to your work.
On behalf of FEVR, we extend our heartfelt thanks and recognition for your invaluable contributionsto road safety."
*Using theInternational Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) methodology, road safety infrastructure changes and safer speeds have prevented almost 700,000 deaths and serious injuries in 74 countries since 2016, according to a paper with Johns Hopkins University published in the respected journal PLOS One. https://irap.org/2024/05/700000-lives-deaths-and-serious-injuries-saved-john-hopkins-report/
BILATERAL MEETINGS
We held key bilateral meetings with all FEVR board members (Robert Štaba, Katarzyna Dobrzanska-Junco, David Frost and Tsampika Moustaka), with iRAP leadership, with Donna Price from the International Road Victims Partnership, FICVI representatives, DGT Spain representatives and representatives from AIPSEV España and Mexico. Furthermore, FEVR participated in the FIA Foundation event, where we had valuable discussions with Luca Pascotto, Head of Road Safety and Global Advocacy at FIA, David Ward from the Towards Zero Foundation, Emma MacLennan from EASST, ETSC representatives, and more.
Representatives from P(A)T, including president Vincente Sánchez Gonzalez and director Yolanda Domenech, met with Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for RoadSafety, and presented the Road Traffic Victim’s Symbol pin.
At the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, we - IRVP, FICVI and FEVR - were delighted to present a Victims’ Voice award to Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention (World Health Organization – WHO) for his invaluable contribution to Road Safety Road Victims as Chair of UNRSC for many years.
FILM FESTIVAL
We are proud to announce that two powerful videos received awards at the Global Road Safety Film Festival in Marrakech!
- IRVP-World Day of Remembrance video from Ireland
- Educational video Safe Senior from Poland
MARRAKECH DECLARATION
During the conference, we found that the draft of the Marrakech Declaration does not include mention of road traffic victims, which we pointed out to Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention (World Health Organization – WHO) and Jean Todt, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Road Safety.
Based on numerous meetings and activities at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, we are pleased that road traffic victims are included in the declaration. Sincere thanks to Etienne Krug, Jean Todt, and Agence Nationale dela Sécurité Routière – NARSA and their respective teams.
Highlighting points in the Declaration:
- Recognize the impact of road traffic crashes on victims and their families particularly, children and youth, and emphasize the importance of taking into account their voice and those of road users who are in vulnerable situations, including older persons and persons with disabilities and minimise risks for violence against women and girls; (page 2)
- Acknowledge the role of road traffic crash victims’ Associations in raising awareness and stimulating actions to prevent deaths and injuries on the roads. (page 2)
- Encourage Member States and relevant actors to prioritise evidence-based interventions and investments where the greatest number of lives can be saved, including post crash care and rehabilitation for victims, particularly in low and middle-income countries, and ensure that the safe systems principles are adapted to the specific needs in those contexts where in particular there are rapidly rising rates of car and powered two- and three-wheeler motorisation; (page 4, item 10)
- Promote the sharing of technology and know-how in critical health infrastructure to provide health services to the victims of road accidents (page 5, item 19)
- Encourage member states to support low-income countries, particularly in Africa, inintegrating road safety into their policies, prioritizing actions, interventions and investments to improve road safety indicators, ensuring knowledge sharing, capacity building, data exchange, adaptation of road infrastructure design standards and post-crash interventions and support for victims, as well as strengthening and improving safe and sustainable transport systems; (page 6, item 24)
FEVR MEETINGS
We held our first in-person board meeting, with Vice President Wulf Hoffmann (VOD –Germany) joining remotely. Vicente Sánchez González (P(A)T – Spain) and long-time board member Yolanda Domenech (P(A)T – Spain) joined briefly for the opening remarks. We reviewed the financial and activity report and completed FEVR’s registration in Belgium. Despite limited resources, we aim to develop new communication tools, work areas, and support programs for members. Planning has begun for the General Assembly in the spring and an in-person gathering in the fall, coinciding with the opening of the House of Road Traffic Victims & Safe Mobility Park in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
A productive meeting took place between Zavod Varna pot from Slovenia (Robert Štaba and Kaja Kobal) and P(A)T from Spain (Vincente Sánchez Gonzalez and Yolanda Domenech) to reflect on past collaboration and discuss future joint initiatives. The Erasmus+ youth projects Slow City and Slow City GAME, jointly led by Zavod Varna pot and P(A)T, serve as a good practice example for other FEVR members. We encourage collaboration between members and look forward to future possibilities of cooperation invarious EU initiatives.
Additionally,a working meeting was held between Kaja Kobal (Zavod Varna pot – Slovenia), Vincente Sánchez Gonzalez (P(A)T – Spain), Katarzyna Dobrzanska-Junco (Przejście – Poland), and David Frost (RoadPeace – UK). They discussed joint actions and ways to strengthen cooperation in advocacy, awareness, and victim support initiatives.
As we reflect on our participation in the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, FEVR remains committed to amplifying the voice of road traffic victims and advocating for stronger policies that prioritize their rights and safety.
Our presence in Marrakech reinforced the importance of collaboration, advocacy, and action in achieving Vision Zero. We were honored to stand alongside fellow organizations, policymakers, and global stakeholders to push for justice, post-crash response improvements, and safer roads for all.
Moving forward, FEVR will continue working closely with international partners to ensure that victims’ voices are heard, policies are strengthened, and real change is implemented. Together, we can make a difference.
