ISLAMABAD:The Road Safety Conference for Parliamentarians – with a global perspective, concluded here Thursday with a unanimous call to action for all stakeholders.
The conference, organized by the International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC) and Mustehkum Parlimaan brought together parliamentarians, experts, and stakeholders from across Pakistan to discuss the five pillars of road safety.
During the conference, the participants were divided into three sessions and discussed various ways to address the critical road safety issues in the country. The recommendations from the conference were used to create the Islamabad Declaration, which outlined the key steps needed to improve road safety in Pakistan.
The Secretary General of the IPC, Senator Sitara Ayaz, read the joint declaration to the participants of the conference. The declaration outlined key steps that need to be taken to improve road safety globally.
The participants agreed to establish the permanent secretariat of the IPC in Islamabad to support the progress on the objectives related to the Global Strategy on Road Safety.
The declaration emphasized the commitment to ensure the implementation of the Global Action Plan on Road Safety and to reduce accidents under the Road Safety Global Action Plan. It was also agreed to set targets to reduce human and financial losses and to recognize the importance of the first decade of action on road safety by the United Nations.
Practical steps were agreed upon to organize global classifications and set standards required for travelers, revise legislation, and align local design standards with modern requirements. A mandatory certification and registration system for the safety of new and old vehicles was introduced, with limits set for driving duration and for professional drivers.
The joint declaration recognized road safety as not only a public health issue but a social issue, particularly for low and middle-income countries. To ensure road safety, the establishment of a specific institution for implementation and the provision of appropriate equipment and training was emphasized.
The closing ceremony of the conference was highlighted by a speech from Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
He emphasized the importance of working together to address road safety issues and expressed his commitment to the cause.
IPC and Mustehkum Parlimaan expressed their gratitude to all participants for their active participation and valuable contributions and expressed their determination for continued efforts to promote road safety worldwide by implementing of the recommendations from the conference.