An upper-middle income country in Central America with the population of 4.8 million. WHO estimates 676 annual road traffic fatalities with a rate of 13.9 deaths per 100,000 population. Pedestrians account for the highest burden of road traffic fatalities in Costa Rica, reported up to 32 per cent, followed by the riders of 2- 3- wheelers accounting for up to 28 per cent. According to the WHO, Costa Rica has strong laws addressing drink-driving, child restraint and seat-belt use; however speeding and helmet laws need to be improved. Costa Rica is not a contracting party to any of the six UN Road Safety Conventions
Meeting with Ms. Ana Helena Chacon, Vice-President of Costa Rica
The Special Envoy presented his recent activities, the terms of his mandate and highlighted potential solutions, such as education, law enforcement, better road infrastructure, post-crash care and safer vehicles. Drugs and drink driving were among key issues that the Special Envoy emphasized along with the fact that road crashes were the second cause of death among young people in the country. The Vice-President expressed interest in collaborating with relevant stakeholders and developing a national road safety action plan.
Meeting with Mr. German Eduardo Valverde Gonzales, Minister of Public Works and Transport; Ms. Karen Mayorga, Minister of Health; Ms. Cindy Coto, COSEVI Director; Ms Alice Shackelford, UN Resident Coordinator
The Special Envoy presented his recent activities, terms of his mandate and key priorities. The Special Envoy presented road safety as a national health issue and suggested that it should be a priority in Costa Rica. The Minister of Transport expressed his strong interest in road safety, as he was former director of COSEVI (Consejo de Seguridad Vial - Road Safety Council) and in charge of road safety at the Ministry of Transport. The Special Envoy shared the example of France and efforts of the French Government over the past 30 years to exponentially reduce the number of road traffic fatalities even in the midst of increased mobility and vehicle ownership. In conclusion, the Special Envoy placed an emphasis on education and law enforcement, and encouraged cross-Ministerial collaboration.
Meeting with the UN Civil Society Advisory Group
On 9 August, the Special Envoy met the Civil Society Advisory Group in San Jose, and presented his mandate and overview of on-going activities. The participants discussed about the need for stronger collaboration in reducing the number of deaths and injuries on Costa Rican roads, and mentioned that road safety was a national priority. The Special Envoy gave an overview of his recent visit to New York and of his meeting with UN officials. The Special Envoy suggested potential solutions outlined in the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, such as improved education, law enforcement, better road infrastructure, post-crash care and safer vehicles. The following stakeholders participated at the meeting:
o Mr. Roy Pavalicini, National Civic Committee
o Mr. José Elias Jimenez, ARCA
o Ms. Angelina Flores, ANSV
o Mr. Roberto Guzman, Chepecietas
o Ms. Alice Shackelford, UN Resident Coordinator
o Mr. Danilo Mora, RCO
United Nations Country Team in Costa Rica
The Special Envoy gave an overview of his recent activities and presented the terms of his mandate. The Special Envoy highlighted the inclusion of road safety in the SDGs 3.6 and 11.2 and shared about the paper on the establishment of a potential UN Road Safety Fund. The Special Envoy insisted on the necessity to build a strong data collection system and placed an emphasis on education for the public, while encouraging the creation of training centres for road safety education in the region. He encouraged the UN Country Team to focus on regional level collaboration (Costa Rica has 82 regions) and engage all stakeholders in the country. The following representatives of UNCT participated at the meeting:
o Ms. Alice H. Shackelford, UN Resident Coordinator
o Mr. Carlos Maldonado, ACNUR
o Mr. Octavio Ramirez, FAO
o Mr. Elías Carranza, ILANUD
o Mr. Roeland de Wilde, IOM
o Mr. Leonardo Ferreira, ILO
o Mr. Oscar Arango, OMM
o Ms. Lilian Reneau Vernon, WHO
o Mr. Kifah Sasa, UNDP
o Ms. Pilar Álvarez, UNESCO
o Ms. Paula Antezana, UNFPA
o Mr. Juan Manuel Baldares, UNICEF
o Mr. Jean Farncois Laurent, UNOPS
o Mr. Francisco Rojas, UPeace
o Mr. Néstor Calderón, UPU
o Mr. Luis Gutiérrez, World Bank
o Mr. Mauricio Bayona, IDB
o Ms. Sofía Fallas, IDB