The ITF’s Annual Summit brings together decision makers from around the world for two days of discussion, dialogue and debate on strategies for transport in the 21st century. More than 1 000 visitors attended this year’s Summit which focussed on the links between ‘Transport, Trade and Tourism’. Participants included National Transport Ministers, CEO’s and business leaders, heads of international organisations as well as leading researchers, who were brought together to exchange ideas on global transport. The FIA was present to highlight the importance of road safety in mobility and tourism worldwide.

Speaking at the Road Safety Media Event, Jean Todt, President of the FIA and UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety said: “The IRTAD report clearly shows that improvements in road safety are unequal: while high-income countries continue to reduce death and injury on their roads, the situation continues to worsen in low and middle income countries.  We have a major opportunity this year to raise the profile of road safety during the Second High Level Conference this November in Brazil. To see a reduction in road traffic fatalities, national governments will need to agree on a number of defined, measurable and achievable road safety targets at the conference”.

President Todt had the opportunity to meet and discuss the importance of the Ministerial Conference with Mr. Alexander Dobrit, German Minister of Transport and with Mr Ben Romdahne, Tunisian Minister of Transport, before joining the minister’s dinner.

The FIA also contributed to the Summit by taking part in the session ‘The Role of Transport in Sustainable Tourism Growth’, which took place on Friday 27 May. Andrew McKellar, FIA Secretary General for Mobility and Tourism, reminded delegates how tourists on the roads in foreign countries are those most affected when global tourism and the global road safety crisis clash: “It’s common to worry about theft and sickness when travelling abroad. But surprisingly, motor vehicle crashes — not terrorism, crime, infectious disease or plane travel — are the biggest killer of tourists globally”.

Next year’s Summit will focus on ‘Green and Inclusive Transport’, and will take place on 18 to 20 May.

About the ITF

The International Transport Forum at the OECD is an intergovernmental organisation with 57 member countries. It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers. ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes.

About IRTAD

IRTAD is the Road Transport Research Programme established the International Road Traffic and Accident Database, established in 1988 by the OECD as a mechanism for providing an aggregated database, in which international accident and the victim as well as exposure data are collected on a continuous basis.