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Belize is the recipient of the 2015 IRF Flagship Road Safety Award
May 8, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - At the closing ceremonies of the 4th IRF Caribbean Regional Congress, the Government of Belize was presented with the International Road Federation’s 2015 Find-A-Way Award. Mrs. Yvonne Hyde, CEO of the Belize Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, and Mr. Errol Gentle, Chief Executive Officer in the Belize Ministry of Works and Transport, jointly accepted the award.
The Find-A-Way Award was established in 2012 by IRF Chairman Abdullah Al-Mogbel to recognize outstanding leadership and commitment to safer roads by national, regional, and local governments. The Award is presented every year on the anniversary of the launch of the UN Decade of Action, with a goal to cut road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50% in 2020.
“IRF’s flagship road safety award was designed around the idea that, when it comes to saving lives, political leadership matters,” noted C. Patrick Sankey, President & CEO of the International Road Federation. “Experience from countries across the world has shown that long-term planning and coordinated multi-sector interventions work. In 2013, the Government of Belize and the Caribbean Development Bank launched a groundbreaking road safety project built around this very idea. It is therefore a great honor for the IRF to offer the 2015 IRF Find-A-Way Award to the Government of Belize for their concerted effort to reduce deaths and serious injuries on their roads.”
Speaking for the Caribbean Development Bank, Mr. Glen McCarvell noted “the Belize road safety project not only supports interventions to build the country’s road safety management capacity, it also aims to improve the safety of road infrastructure, support police enforcement efforts and improve post-crash care. As the first such multi-sectorial initiative in the region, this project offers a template for improving road safety throughout the Caribbean nations.”
“By recognizing promising initiatives and exemplary leadership, IRF awards, events and training all help spread innovative concepts,” added IRF Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Esteban Salinas. “During the 4th IRF Caribbean Regional Congress we were exposed to effective ways to analyze crash data, curb unsafe behavior, and engineer safe roads and traffic systems for all users, while also encouraged to consider the value of coordinated interventions. The format of the event also promoted interactive exchanges between Caribbean delegates faced with similar challenges, illustrating once more the value of the region’s premier road event.”
The presentation of IRF’s Award is one of several key contributions by the International Road Federation to the 3rd UN Global Road Safety Week, an initiative aimed at fostering discussion and awareness-raising in over 100 countries. Other IRF contributions have included a policy statement on children and road safety, and the organization of a capacity-building workshop for Saudi highway professionals.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator color="grey"][vc_raw_html]JTNDYnIlM0UlMEElM0NiciUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]
The International Road Federation, founded in 1948, is a not-for-profit, non-political organization with the mission to encourage and promote development and maintenance of better, safer and more sustainable roads and road networks. With a network in 117 countries across six continents, the IRF believes it can make a difference by providing best practices and expert advice to today's multi-faceted world of transport.
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