United Nations Radio

The General Assembly today held a meeting on road safety as the United Nations health agency warns that the problem has become a major cause of deaths

The World Health Organization says 20 million people would die and hundreds of millions more injured in road accidents between 2000 and 2015.

Introducing a General Assembly resolution on road safety, Ambassador Fuad Al-Hinai of Oman said it is time for government ministers to meet to discuss the issue, and thanked the Russian Federation for offering to host such a conference next year.

"We hope that this important event will bring together ministers responsible for transport, health, education and laws enforcement to exchange views and discuss progress in implementing the recommendations of the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention and General Assembly resolutions on improving global road safety."

The representative of Oman also thanked the Russian Federation for playing leading role in raising awareness of the road safety issue.