The Russian Federation – 2013 Decade of Action Award
During a high level forum in St Petersburg HRH Prince Michael of Kent, Patron of the Commission for Global Road Safety, presented the 2013 Decade of Action Award to the Russian Federation. The Award recognises Russia’s leadership in promoting the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Russia hosted the first ever Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in 2009, which set the agenda for the Decade of Action, sponsored the UN General Assembly Resolution establishing the Decade of Action and ensured that road safety was recognised at the Rio+20 sustainable development summit in 2012.
HRH Prince Michael of Kent said:
Without the Russian Federation we would almost certainly not have the Decade of Action at all. Russia had the vision and courage to put her authority and prestige behind an issue that was on the margins of international policy. The Russian Federation’s offer to host the first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, and her sponsorship of successive UN General Assembly Resolutions in 2008, 2010 and 2012, have provided essential political leadership. Without this international statesmanship by a leading G8 and G20 nation our cause could not have prospered. And last year, at the ‘Rio plus twenty’ summit, Russia ensured that road safety was recognised and included in the summit communique. At home, the Russian Federation has had the courage – which many countries still lack – to recognise the scale of road traffic deaths and injuries on roads here, and to take action.”