Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele supported by senior government officials will attend the first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow on 19 and 20 November as well as the 25th Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London from 23 to 27 November 2009.
The first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety is being hosted by the Government of the Russian Federation on 19 to 20 November 2009. Requested by the United Nations General Assembly, the event represents a historic opportunity to make progress on tackling a leading cause of death and disability.
As many as 1 000 government ministers, representatives of United Nations agencies, officials from civil society organisations, leaders of private companies and many other road safety experts will attend. Participants will draw attention to the need for action to address the large and growing global impact of road traffic crashes; review progress on implementation of the world report on road traffic injury prevention and share information and good practices on road safety. It is anticipated that participants will issue a clear call for a Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020.
The 25th Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will meet in London from 19 to 30 November 2009. The Assembly is IMO's highest governing body. All 167 Member States and three Associate Members are entitled to attend, as are the intergovernmental organisations with which agreements of cooperation have been concluded and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in consultative status with IMO.
The assembly normally meets once every two years in regular session. It is responsible for approving the work programme, voting the budget and determining the financial arrangements of the organisation. It also elects the council.
The assembly will review the work carried out by the organisation during the biennium 2006-2007, through the Council, the five IMO committees and the secretariat, highlights of which include the successful adoption of the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks and progress made with the implementation of the Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme. The high-level action plan and the related work programme and budget for 2008-2009 will also be presented to the assembly for approval.
Enquiries:
Thami Ngidi
Cell: 082 888 0852
Issued by: Department of Transport
16 November 2009
