Luanda: The Republic of Angola reaffirmed, on Monday in New York (USA), its firm commitment to promoting road safety as a strategic priority for sustainable development.
According to Angola Press News Agency, this position was presented by the Secretary of State for the Interior, Arnaldo Carlos, during the 2nd High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Global Road Safety, currently taking place at the organization's headquarters. On that occasion, he advocated for a more ambitious international response to accelerate the implementation of commitments made under the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
During his address, Arnaldo Carlos emphasized that the international community is at a decisive moment to intensify efforts toward meeting global targets. However, he noted that the commitments enshrined in the Stockholm Declaration, reaffirmed in the New York Political Declaration (2022), and reinforced by the Marrakech Declaration (2025), require coordinated, sustained action aimed at concrete results.
In this context, he stated that achieving Target 3.6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), halving the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from road traffic accidents by 2030, will depend on the ability of States to translate political commitments into effective measures through institutional strengthening, the mobilization of sustainable investments, and deepened international cooperation.
Arnaldo Carlos noted that road accidents remain one of the most serious threats to public health and sustainable development, causing over a million deaths and tens of millions of injuries worldwide each year, while also ranking among the leading causes of death for children and young people. He further stated that their impact extends beyond the human toll, hindering economic growth, exacerbating social inequalities, and impeding the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Addressing the situation in the country, the Secretary of State pointed out that road accidents in Angola are concentrated primarily in major urban centers, a consequence of increased mobility and rapid urbanization. To tackle this challenge, he highlighted that the Angolan government has been implementing an integrated strategy based on strengthening the legal and institutional framework, intensifying enforcement, promoting road safety education and awareness, progressively improving infrastructure, modernizing traffic management systems, and bolstering the response capacity of emergency and victim-assistance services.
The head of the Angolan delegation also argued that the success of the Decade of Action will depend on strengthening international partnerships, expanding technical assistance, facilitating knowledge and technology transfer, fostering innovation, and mobilizing predictable and sustainable financial resources, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries. He added that road safety must remain at the heart of public policies regarding development, mobility, health, education, and land-use planning, through an integrated, cross-cutting, and people-centered approach capable of fostering safer, more inclusive, and resilient road systems.
It further reiterated the Republic of Angola's full readiness to continue working in close collaboration with the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and other international partners toward achieving global road safety objectives, emphasizing Angola's commitment to protecting lives, promoting safe mobility, and meeting international road safety targets.
