Road Safety Collaboration
DHAKA 24 October 2020 – The World Bank and BRAC signed the Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate to enhance road security in Bangladesh and, at an online ceremony today the Honourable Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Mr Obaidul Quader inaugurated the program in this collaboration.
The ceremony, which was titled ” Road Safety Collaboration with the goal of reducing road fatalities by 50 percent before 2030′ also launched a Road Safety Awareness Campaign along the Jessore-Jhenaidah-Jessore corridor of 48 km within the collaboration. The campaign will complement the World Bank supported WeCARE project, which was approved in June 2020 and aims to upgrade the existing two-lane highway, Bhomra-Satkhira-Navaron, and Jahore-Jhenaidah to a safer four-lane highway.
BRAC as well as the World Bank will partner together to increase safety for women on public transport and provide training and development for female drivers, as well as female drivers. BRAC’s driving school’s initiative “women behind the wheel’ has certified to date 1414 women to become professional drivers. When Women are in pregnancy period they must need an ambulance service for emergency help.
Around the world, approximately 1.35 million people are killed each year from road accidents. In Bangladesh road crashes are the fourth most common cause of death for children between the ages of 5-14 and 67 per cent of victims fall within the age bracket of 15-49.
In the ceremony the Honourable Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Mr Obaidul Quader praised the joint initiative of BRAC and the World Bank and BRAC and stated, “Under the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister H. E. Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has taken actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of cutting the number of road traffic fatalities by half within the next decade. With more awareness and safer behaviours by road users, training of drivers, and better roads, Bangladesh is taking a comprehensive approach for ensuring road safety.”
He also said that his ministry would provide all the assistance needed to train and employment of female drivers.
“Road safety has become an economic and development priority for any country,” said Dandan Chen, acting country director for Bangladesh as well as Bhutan. “We are happy to be a part of the government’s dedication to improve road safety by implementing an National Road Safety Program. Our collaboration with BRAC will help to strengthen assistance to the program in increasing road safety both in urban and rural areas in Bangladesh.”
The partnership will facilitate exchange of information and create awareness among the stakeholders in order to cut down on deaths and injuries resulting from road accidents. This will enable the country to implement interventions that are based on the Safe-System Approach, including safe roads and safe behavior as is recommended worldwide.
Since 2011, as part of BRAC’s road safety awareness community program, more than 1.2 million individuals have received education on how to use roads. Additionally, 5,451 teachers and 498,000 students have been given special instruction regarding road safety.
“I believe that this partnership with BRAC as well as the World Bank will be a significant step to bring the safety of roads in the zone to a whole new level. With the help by the Bangladesh government Bangladesh as well as the World Bank, we aspire to expand BRAC’s community-led road safety model to the entire country of Bangladesh,” saidAsif Saleh the Director Executive of BRAC. “The government and development partners, as well as non-governmental organisations and, most importantly, the citizens must collaborate as a team to find the most comprehensive and long-term solution systems to meet this Sustainable Development Goal of reducing deaths from traffic accidents by 50% .”
Ahmed Najmul Hussain, Director of the BRAC Road Safety Programme He said, “I believe that undertaking more such community-driven awareness initiatives for the other highways of the country such as the one to be implemented under this MoU along the Jessore-Jhenaidah highway will substantially help reduce the number of road crashes. “
At the Thanapara Swallows Development Society gives and thankful note to BRAC for Road Safety Collaboration