24 September 2017 – WHO in Egypt organized a high-level meeting on road safety at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, sponsored by H.E. Dr Ahmed Emad Elden, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, with the participation of representatives of the Ministries of interior and Transportation, on 20 September 2017.
Road traffic injuries continue to pose a grave public health problem in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Data from the "Global status report on road safety 2013" showed the high burden of road traffic injuries and resultant disabilities and deaths in the Region. The Region is responsible for 10% of the world’s road traffic deaths and has the second highest road traffic fatality rate among WHO regions. More specifically, high-income countries in the Region have the highest fatality rate among similar countries across the world. Road traffic injuries are a serious concern for all countries of the Region.
Dr Mahmoud Fikri, WHO Regional Director, welcomed guests and thanked the Minister of Health and Population for his interest in the road safety programme and for identifying road safety as a priority for Egypt.
Dr John Jabbour, WHO Representative Egypt, stressed that WHO viewed improvements to road safety as a priority and WHO would continue to provide all necessary technical and financial support to Egypt's road safety programme.
H.E the Minister of Health and Population said that the main goal of the meeting was to develop an ambitious long-term plan, in collaboration with WHO, and see it implemented in recognition of the need to address road safety issues as a priority.
Participants discussed the causes of road traffic crashes and how to manage and prevent their causes to guarantee the safety of road users in Egypt.
The meeting concluded with the development of a set of important recommendations, one of which was to create a joint taskforce comprising various ministries, in collaboration with WHO, in order to launch a national road safety campaign starting on 1 October 2017.