From: Jens Wandel
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 5:19 PM
To: All Staff UNDP Global
Subject: UNDP Road Safety Awareness Campaign
Dear Colleagues,
Did you know that more than 1.24 million people around the world die and 50 million are injured on the world’s roads every year? And did you also know that – beyond the personal loss each of these deaths signifies – their financial impact is an estimated annual loss of $516 billion to the world’s economy? This is what data from a World Health Organization (WHO) report indicates.
At a more immediate level, road accidents are a leading cause of death and injury for UN personnel. In 2013, 10 UN people were killed and 139 injured in traffic accidents. Approximately 50% of all road accidents and 33% of deaths were associated with the use of official UN vehicles. Moreover, in that same year, 32 non-UN personnel were killed and 291 were injured in accidents involving official UN vehicles in 40 countries.
With the goal of stabilizing and eventually reducing global road fatalities, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2011-2020 The Decade of Action for Road Safety (see resolution A/RES/64/255 of 10 May 2010).
As part of the wider United Nations family, in our efforts to reduce the number of UNDP-related vehicular accidents and the damage they cause, the Bureau for Management Services (BMS) has been working to develop a strategy and training package to improve UNDP’s road safety record. The use of UNDP vehicles by UNDP personnel also has workplace safety implications for the organization, and this training is an opportunity to improve that.
I am delighted to announce the UNDP Road Safety Awareness Campaign training package is now available in English, French and Spanish through the UNDPLearning Management System (LMS).
Given the potential life-saving impacts of this training, the course is being added to all learning paths of all UNDP roles in the LMS and is available to everybody. It takes less than an hour.
Safer driving is also good for the environment. Less aggressive driving, less tailgating and then hitting the brakes suddenly – these all contribute to better fuel efficiency. To optimize efficient fleet management and reduce the environmental impact of operating UNDP’s large global fleet, BMS is also developing a Fleet Management Framework and promoting inter-agency car-pooling.
In addition to protecting our lives and well-being, we must also remember that road accidents can affect how people perceive UNDP. Our fleet of vehicles is one of the most visible symbols of UNDP, and unsafe behaviour or vehicle misuse could negatively impact programme delivery.
I strongly encourage you to take this important course for your own well-being and everyone else’s.
Best regards,
Jens
| Jens WandelAssistant Administrator & DirectorBureau for Management Services
United Nations Development Programme 1 United Nations Plz., DC1-1718 New York, NY 10017 Tel: +12129065600 Cell: 917-680-9213 |
