KARACHI – Coordinated by the International Road Federation (IRF) and supported by TotalEnergies Foundation, Indus Motor (IMC) together with a group of leading private sector companies in Pakistan, has entered into a partnership to use their combined knowledge and expertise to reduce road fatalities and injuries in the country. This initiative is rooted in the belief that one road crash victim is one too many.
The founding members of this coalition which besides IMC, include TOTAL PARCO Pakistan, Shell Pakistan, Unilever Pakistan Limited, PARCO Pearl Gas Limited, Coca Cola Pakistan, Engro Fertilizers Limited, and Niaz Malik Consultants, signed the Coalition Charter at a virtual ceremony, hosted by the IRF in Geneva, Switzerland. IMC Chief Executive, Ali Asghar Jamali, signed the Charter along with other CEOs/MDs of these organizations.
The project aims to mobilize and federate private sector stakeholders to support road safety efforts in Pakistan and to substantially improve road safety via hands-on, impact-oriented, and scalable activities.
According to WHO, most road crashes occur in developing countries where road transport constitutes one of the leading causes of death. In recognition of this global crisis, the United Nations has declared the years 2021 to 2030 as the new Decade of Action for Road Safety, setting the ambitious target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50%. The United Nations have urged all stakeholders, including business leaders, to support the implementation thereof.
Expressing his views at the ceremony, Chief Executive IMC, expressed, “Road safety is taking a serious turn in Pakistan and addressing it is not anyone person’s job. As a shared responsibility, this coalition – a first for Pakistan – is a great step forward and coupled with IRFs experience and expertise will bring great value to the table, which on our own, we would be unable to do by ourselves. However, at the end of the day, the impact has to be created by us, the stakeholders, for whom there is greater value and create a real difference in society. As Safety Leaders, Toyota values safety, be it the Company’s products or safety on roads.”
“IRF strongly believes that partnerships are the key driver of success and long-term impact in the reduction of road crashes. We are delighted to coordinate this work and to pro-actively engage the private sector in collaborative and coordinated initiatives. This will help us step-up efforts to reach the targets set by the new Decade of Action” commented Susanna Zammataro, IRF Director General, at the launch of the coalition.
Besides Pakistan, IRF has already launched a private-sector coalition in Tanzania this year and is currently working on the launch in Morocco.
