The Speaker of the Banjul Youth Parliament of the National Youth Parliament of The Gambia, Hon. Ousman Conteh, who doubles as the UN Youth Ambassador for Road Safety on Monday 16th November 2009, left Banjul to attend a youth meeting on 18th November, 2009, and the First Global Ministerial Conference for Road Safety, to be held in Moscow, Russian Federation.
Shortly before his departure, Honorable Conteh briefed Youth Forum regarding his participation to these important meetings.
The youth meeting, according to Hon. Conteh, will create new opportunities for youth delegates to discuss how they can collaborate as a global youth network and prepare the official launch of YOURS (New International Youth NGO in the Making) in the months following the Ministerial Conference.
The forum will also give participants a unique opportunity to discuss about young people's concrete contributions to the proposed Decade of Action on Road Safety 2011-2020.
The objectives are to draw attention to the need for action, in particular in developing countries; to provide a high-level global multi-sectoral policy platform to share information and good practices on road safety; and to propose a number of actions for the future.
It is hoped that the Ministerial Conference will adopt a declaration which will call on the United Nations General Assembly to proclaim a Decade of Action on Road Safety from 2011-2020.
During the Ministerial Conference, plenary presentations and panel discussions will address ideas for actions to be taken during such a decade.
The Ministerial Conference will be a multi-sectoral event as in the case of road traffic injury problem, and is expected to gather more than 1000 participants, including Ministers of Health, Transport, Interior, Education, Foreign Affairs and others; representatives of the United Nations agencies; leaders from non-governmental and civil society organisations; representatives from private companies; and many other world's leading road safety experts.
The youth meeting will also accord young people the opportunity to prepare a youth statement, which is expected to be delivered to World Ministers, calling for urgent action to keep young people saver on the world's road.
It could be recalled that Hon. Conteh represented The Gambia at the World Youth Assembly on Road Safety as a youth delegate held in Geneva, Switzerland in April 2007. Based on his outstanding participation, he was nominated by the WHO Geneva, to serve in the Global Youth Taskforce to spearhead the implementation of the recommendations of the WYA 2007, and to also prepare an International Youth NGO (YOURS: - Youth for Road Safety) as a direct recommendation of the 2007 World Youth Assembly
Honorable Conteh expressed his gratitude to WHO Geneva office for funding his trip.
The youth activist is expected to return to Banjul on Monday 23rd November 2009.
