Michelin, UNICEF to promote road safety among young people in Southeast Asia and China

MANILA: Michelin and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched a three-year partnership at the UNICEF Side Event to the High Level Meeting on improving global road safety, hosted by UNICEF in New York, USA. The partnership will help push the global agenda on road safety issues from 2021 to 2030 and promote road safety among young people in Southeast Asia and China. This is a significant milestone in Michelin's ongoing efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries by half by 2030.

Every year, 1.3 million people worldwide lose their lives in traffic accidents, and between 20 and 50 million people suffer injuries. Children and young adults are especially at risk. Some 220,000 children and adolescents aged zero to 19 die worldwide every year as a result of traffic-related injuries. This disturbing figure emphasizes the urgent need for new solutions to improve road safety. One of the cornerstones to successfully addressing the enormous challenge of road safety is making young people involved in awareness-raising and advocacy activities for the adoption of proven road safety good practices.

Michelin will support UNICEF in addressing child road safety-related deaths and injuries starting in China and the Philippines, in a first year of activities, and it will be extended to other countries over the course of the three-year partnership.

Through capacity building, advocacy, and awareness-raising programs, this partnership will help UNICEF in improving child road safety in Southeast Asia and China while educating local communities on related issues.

“At Michelin, we consider that taking action for safer mobility is first and foremost a collective, cross-cutting endeavor, one that demands the energy and determination of all stakeholders, public and private alike. The group has been involved for many years in various road safety awareness and training actions on road hazards through concrete actions on the ground, many targeting young people, with many other global strategic partners around the world. The partnership between Michelin and UNICEF demonstrates the commitment and confidence of both sides. In the future, I believe that by working together, step by step, we can make great strides in road safety for children and I look forward to seeing more people joining us on this sustainable path,” Michelin Philippines Commercial Director Daesy Natalya stated.

“Road traffic crashes claim the lives of thousands of children and adolescents each year. Creating awareness, advocating and implementing proven road safety good practices among children, youth, families and communities is key to help prevent road traffic injuries and save children's lives,” UNICEF Private Fundraising and Partnerships Director Carla Haddad Mardini said. “We are happy to collaborate with Michelin to help us advocate for and improve the lives of children, allowing them to go to school and get back home safely.”

This partnership with UNICEF is in line with Michelin's mission and underscores the Group's proactive, long-standing, and comprehensive commitment to improving road safety. This is an important part of Michelin's social responsibility efforts to improve community mobility practices.

Image from Michelin

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