Launch Conference: Make Roads Safe Campaign Moldova

Contact: Victor Neagu, tel: (+373 68) 254141
E-mail: vneagu@worldbank.org 

Urgent Action is needed to combat the growing crisis of road deaths in Moldova. That is the message of a new campaign being launched today at the World Bank in Chisinau. The Make Roads Safe Moldova Campaign will bring together politicians, activists and specialists from throughout Moldova – along with international road safety experts - to find ways of making Moldova’s roads safe.

In 2008 in Moldova, 500 people lost their lives in road crashes and nearly 3,500 were injured. This represents an increase in fatalities of 30% and a 25% increase in those injured in just two years. The number of children killed on the roads more than doubled.

The Conference is being hosted by the World Bank with the support of the global Make Roads Safe Campaign. Public activities - initiated by the Automobile Club of Moldova and involving the Automobile Club of Transnistria - have already begun with the aim of raising public awareness of how to be a safe road user.

The Make Roads Safe Moldova conference involves key players on road safety in Moldova. Speakers include:

•  Melanie Marlett - Country Manager for Moldova, World Bank
•  Ms Liliana Palihovici MP - Commission for Health and Social Affairs
•  Mr Dorin Chirtoaca - Mayor of Chisinau
•  Governor Mihail Formuzal - Bashcan of Gagauz Eri
•  Mr Calin Vieru MP - Ambassador for Make Roads Safe
•  Lord Dubs of Battersea - Chair, the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Moldova
•  HE Keith Shannon - Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Moldova
•  HE Dr Asif Chaudhry - Ambassador of the USA to the Republic of Moldova
• John Dawson - Chairman, iRAP (the International Road Assessment Programme)
•  Serghei Diaconu - President, Automobile Club of Moldova
•  Andrei Stebunov - Executive Director, Automobile Club of Transnistria
•  Emma MacLennan - Director, Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport

The conference will be an opportunity to discuss Moldova’s road construction programme and ensure safety is a high priority within these plans. It will also be an important prelude to the first United Nations Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety taking place in Moscow in November to which Moldova is invited.

Speaking at the Conference Mr Calin Vieru MP, Ambassador for the Campaign, said "This conference is just the start of what will be a very active campaign. We must work together to save lives on Moldova’s roads."

Notes to media: 

- The global Make Roads Safe Campaign is calling on the international community to recognise road traffic injuries as a global health epidemic. In 2008, as a result of the support of more than a million people around the world, the campaign secured UN approval for the first Global Ministerial Meeting on Road Safety which will be held in November 2009. See these links for further information:

http://www.makeroadssafe.org/Pages/home.aspx 
http://www.1300000.net/ 

-The campaign is supported by the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, an independent UK registered charity which manages and supports international activities promoting road safety, environmental protection and sustainable mobility, as well as funding specialist motor sport safety research.