PAHO joins Ibero-American leaders to advance road safety cooperation across the Americas

The World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Ibero-American Road Safety Observatory (OISEVI) held their first joint meeting in Madrid, Spain, on 25 June 2026, bringing road safety leaders from across Ibero-America and the Caribbean together to strengthen regional cooperation and accelerate action to prevent road traffic deaths and serious injuries.

Twenty-two countries were represented at the meeting that linked the Global Road Safety Leaders Network with OISEVI, a regional road safety cooperation platform for cooperation and peer learning.

The meeting had three concrete results:

• The approval of the Madrid Declaration that seeks to strengthening national traffic and road safety agencies and recognizes the key role played by the Ibero-American Road Safety Program (OISEVI) and its strategic partners-such as PAHO/WHO-in providing cooperation to local authorities responsible;
• The adoption of a Ibero-American Strategic Framework for Safe Mobility 2030 that promotes the progressive harmonization of regulations on driving licences and road user behaviour risk factors including speed, alcohol, helmets, seat belts, child restrain system and distracted driving; and
• The presentation of the Ibero-American Safe Mobility Index to track outcomes and institutional capacity without becoming a punitive ranking, which was led and coordinated by FICVI and Fundación Mapfre with the support of different institutions and specialists, including OISEVI.

"Today's meeting is about strengthening political leadership to drive real-world progress. It marks a bridge between the technical and political, regional and global efforts. Strong political leadership can ensure effective measures are actioned, such as safe speed limits, motorcycle safety regulations, safe infrastructure and vehicles, laws, enforcement, emergency care and sustainable financing," said Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the Department for Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention at WHO.

A related session examined the role of national lead agencies for road safety. Drawing on country models from Spain, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Andorra, WHO's Global Lead for the Decade of Action, Dr Matts-Åke Belin, said effective leadership requires a clear mandate, sufficient institutional rank, stable resources, reliable data and strong links with police and enforcement. He warned that integrating road safety into wider mobility, climate or urban agendas must not dilute this core mission.

Motorcycle riders accounted for 42% of road deaths in the region in 2024 and are now the largest road-user category among those killed in traffic globally. The global motorcycle fleet has tripled since 2011, and WHO stressed that motorcycle safety must be addressed through a range of measures, from helmet laws and graduated licensing to vehicle standards and the responsibilities of employers and delivery platforms. Other transport options, such as public transport, must also be provided.

With financial support from the United Nations Road Safety Fund, WHO and PAHO are providing technical cooperation to nine countries in the Americas to strengthen legal frameworks around motorcyclist safety and improve licensing systems, helmet legislation, and speed management policies that target young motorcycle riders. Progress on this regard was presented and discussed by delegates from Argentina, Belize, Jamaica, Mexico and Paraguay in a round table organized as part of this event moderated by Ricardo Pérez-Núñez, Regional Advisor for Road Safety and Prevention of Unintentional Injuries at PAHO.

The Madrid meeting supports preparatory work for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Road Safety to be held in New York on 20-21 July 2026, and the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government in Madrid on 4-5 November 2026 in which it is expected they formally endorse the Madrid Declaration.

Closing the meeting, WHO's Dr Etienne Krug reflected on two decades of growth in the global road safety architecture, cautioning that progress remains far from sufficient to meet the 2030 target of halving road deaths and injuries. He described OISEVI's evolution into a mature regional platform - combining national technical expertise with political support from the Ibero-American system - as having useful lessons for regional cooperation elsewhere.

This meeting contributes to the implementation of the mandate established by the first United Nations High-Level Meeting on Road Safety, in which Member States requested WHO to convene a global network of road safety leaders. Strengthening regional collaboration and networks is an important component of this effort, helping countries share experiences and accelerate progress toward safer roads.

The activity was made possible through financial support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, provided through WHO. It also builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by PAHO and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) in 2025, which identified road safety as a priority area for cooperation and provided the framework for collaboration with OISEVI to strengthen road safety policies and data systems across Ibero-America.