Press Releases
The Media play an important part, with the help of the Press Releases delivered to them, in spreading the word about the existence of the World Day of Remembrance, the reasons for it and the annual events taking place in different parts of the world.
The Press Releases found on this page are in the original languages and from countries on all continents.
World Day 2017
Press Release Argentina
This press release was sent by Luchemos por la Vida to over 1500 Argentinian mass media: radios, TV channels, news agencies, online portals and other audio-visual media, with an awareness message that was consequently disseminated by many of them.
Sunday, 19th November
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
189.790 deaths in 25 years isn’t just a number
No war or natural disaster has caused such a tragedy in our country
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PRESS RELEASE Slovenia
Main World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Ceremony at Ljubljana Town Hall on Saturday, 18th of November 2017
This year´s main event of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) took place in Ljubljana. With it the 10th anniversary of Zavod Varna pot was also celebrated.
The WDR was acknowledged in many cities and countries around the world with the main aim of: »Decreasing the number of traffic casualties and severely injured for at least 50 percent by 2020«.
In Slovenia, it was decided that this year´s event should be in honour of life. This is so that the family members of the deceased, wounded, and also their loved ones need to find a new compass in this difficult path ahead of them.
Full Press Release
Save Life Liberia
PRESS RELEASE:
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2017 in Liberia held on November 18, 2017, at the College of West Africa Auditorium
Dear Esteemed Road Safety Champion,
Save Life Liberia Inc., formerly Save Life International, organized Self-funded activities commemorating the World Day of Remembrance for Road traffic Victims 2017 in Liberia on Saturday November 18, 2017, at the College of West Africa (CWA) Auditorium on Ashmum Street, Monrovia. The event under a local theme: “Breaking National Silence on Road Safety to reduce serious injuries and deaths in Liberia by 50% by 2020”, commemorates one of Liberia’s youthful famous musical Stars, the late Quincy L. Burrowes, who died in a fatal accident on March 3rd 2017 and other victims.
The official opening of the event brought together participants from civil society organizations, local and international nongovernment organizations and governmental agencies, students and youth groupings and media representatives with panel discussions featuring, WHO, GIZ, Police, EU, and Civil society organizations.
FEVR
Press Release
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Sunday, 19th November 2017
This year again, millions of people killed on the world’s roads and many millions injured will be remembered on World Day – a Day now observed throughout the whole world.
Theme for WDR 2017:
From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade
2020 Target: reduce road fatalities AND serious injuries by 50%*
Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!
*Sustainable Development Goal 3.6: Reduce fatalities & serious injuries by 50% by 2020
This theme is based on Pillar 1 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action – Road Safety Management, which includes monitoring of targets. The 50% target for both deaths and serious injuries (Injuries had been mostly ignored until now!) was chosen because this target is part of the Sustainable Development Goal adopted by the UN General Assembly. *
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a major role in monitoring the achievement of the targets through its global status reports. WHO is collaborating with all other UN agencies and stakeholders to accelerate action in order to achieve the ambitious target.
FEVR has represented road traffic victims on the UNRSC, (UN Road Safety Collaboration) chaired by WHO Director Etienne Krug, from its inception in 2004 and it is through the support of Dr Krug and the UNRSC that our World Day received UN recognition in 2005 and has become the global Day it is today.
JEANNOT MERSCH president of FEVR said:”Road victims throughout the world owe a debt of gratitude to Dr Krug for recognizing the importance to them of having their loss and suffering acknowledged and for being instrumental in promoting FEVR’s World Day to it becoming the UN’s World Day. Road victim and road safety NGOs are also grateful to Dr Krug for his annual World Day message.”
BRIGITTE CHAUDHRY, the author of the WDR website, former FEVR president and coordinator of the Brussels NGO declaration**, who also promoted the World Day from 1993, said: “The fact that the Sustainable Development Goal includes the 50% target for reducing road deaths & injuries increases our hope it may be achieved. But we must remember that even this ambitious target means that thousands of deaths and injuries are actually accepted, even expected — something unthinkable for deaths and injuries from other causes! As road victim advocates we demand at least due provisions for those expected casualties.”
We also want to thank the FIA Foundation for their financial support, MAPFRE Fundacion for having produced this year’s video and all who share and help promote #WDoR2017.
Publicity and publicity materials: For this year’s World Day, FEVR is again offerering a poster and video to all WDR event organizers and collating the events held worldwide:
* UN General Assembly adopts a resolution on “Improving global road safety”
The resolution…”calls for action to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries as a pressing development priority”. It also calls on Member States to “commemorate the annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims”. link
** NGOs advocating for road victims and safer roads have compiled a Declaration for the Decade of Action, comprising 33 recommendations to governments: NGO ‘Brussels Declaration’
World Day 2016
FEVR
Full Press Release
Press Release
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
Sunday, 20th November 2016
This year again a further million people were killed on the world’s roads, with many millions injured. They and all the millions before them will be remembered by their families and friends on our World Day – a Day now observed throughout the world* by relevant NGOs, government departments, agencies and public bodies, as well as institutions and companies.
Theme for WDR 2016:
From Global Remembrance to Global Action across the Decade
Vital post-crash actions: Medical Care, Investigation, Justice!
Let’s make 2011-2020 a Decade to remember!
The main theme – Vital post-crash actions: Medical Care, Investigation, Justice! – is based on Pillar 5 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action – Post Crash Response, which, among others, calls for improvements in health care systems, thorough crash investigations and ‘an effective legal response to road deaths and injuries’ and thus justice for the bereaved and injured. These post-crash areas are an important part of road safety, they are inter-dependent with prevention work, yet are absent from road safety strategies in almost all countries.
Full Press Release
World Day 2015
Press Release
FEVR – the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims – to receive the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.
FEVR is delighted that their significant work for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – on behalf of all road victims worldwide – is being recognized.
PDF Files:
World Day 2015 Press Release, WDR & FEVR
Brigitte Chaudhry (FEVR) – PR on the Prince Michael Road Safety Award
On 17th November 2015 – just 2 days after this year’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) and on the eve of the 2nd Global High-level Conference on Road Safety in Brasilia – FEVR is to receive an esteemed Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its part in the creation, development and promotion of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims over the past two decades.
This award comes in the year of the World Day’s 20th anniversary, which is also the 10th anniversary year of the Day’s adoption by the United Nations – since when it is commemorated on all continents, drawing attention to the global devastating impact of road deaths and injuries and the urgent need for a truly serious post-crash response that would bring an end the carnage.
These two anniversaries are highlighted on this year’s World Day poster, offered by FEVR in over 20 languages and free of charge to all organizers of WDR events.*
FEVR member organisations began observing this special Remembrance Day jointly from 1995. FEVR was then, as a member of the UNRSC, actively involved in its adoption by the UN 10 years later– on 26th October 2005 – and its promotion since then, in particular by creating and maintaining a dedicated website for the World Day: https://wdor-archive.com/
This website is designed as an archive of annual worldwide commemorations, including publicity and publications, as well as a source of help and inspiration to all who plan World Day commemorations. It also offers the opportunity to link countries and individuals through sharing common objectives and remembrance of people killed and injured in crashes.
Our World Day of Remembrance is important to road crash victims since it responds to their need for public recognition of their loss and suffering. It has also become an important tool to all those who work for crash prevention and who respond to the aftermath of crashes, as well as to politicians on all continents.
FEVR – an umbrella organization of 25 national road victim association – has 24 years of experience of the post-crash response in practice – in particular of the injustices suffered by the majority of road crash victims. FEVR has UN consultative status and represents the interests of bereaved and injured road crash victims at all relevant international institutions and government departments. FEVR also campaigns tirelessly for a response to road deaths and injuries that is appropriate to the loss of life and quality of life. http://fevr.org/
Jeannot Mersch, FEVR President, said:
“I am very happy that our 20-years of work for the World Day of Remembrance have been recognized as an ‘excellent, sustainable and globally acknowledged initiative’, which at the same time represents all-important support and care for road crash victims. Indeed, FEVR has throughout its 25 years of activities been deeply committed to representing the perspective of road crash victims and to having victims’ needs met and their voices heard.”
Brigitte Chaudhry, Author & Editor of the World Day website, said:
“I am proud to have had a major part in the creation and evolution of the World Day to the present day. It has been wonderful to witness the spread of World Day commemorations throughout the world and to know that we victims are linked with each other on that special day in remembering our loved ones. Of course we hope that raising awareness of the terrible consequences of crashes among all road safety stakeholders, governments and the general public – which we are able to do via the World Day website & its social media links and the help of our international member organisations and supporters – will lead to a serious reduction of road danger and hence future deaths and injuries. We hope that thanks to the existence of our World Day we will have to remember fewer new road victims each year.”
Contacts:
Jeannot Mersch, FEVR president, president@fevr.org
Brigitte Chaudhry, Editor WDR website, editor@worlddayofremembrance.org
*WDR 2015 Poster
Posters in all languages: https://wdor-archive.com/posters-to-share/
Global Press Releases
UN General Assembly adopts World Day, 2005
UNECE Press Note, World Day 2006
WHO Press Release for World Day 2006
UN News Service, World Day 2007
Public Library of Science, On prescribed Medicines, 2010
WHO Europe, Press Note, 2011
PRI, Press Release in English, French and Arabic
Africa
Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, World Day 2009
Ghana, Press Release for WDR 2010
America North
America South
Uruguay, World Day 2009
Asia
India, IRTE, Press Release for WDR 2008
India, Andhra Pradesh, WDR 2010
Lebanon, PR in Arabic, World Day 2011
Europe
UK, European Remembrance Day 2001
UK, Launch Internet Memorial site, 2002
UK, PR for London, 2002
UK, World Remembrance Day 2003
FEVR, Press Release, World Day 2004
UK, Concert to mark World Day 2004
Italy, Giornata 2005
UK, World Day 2006
Switzerland, Press Notes, WDR 2007
Luxemburg, Journée Mondiale…2007
FEVR, Enormous publicity for WDR 2007
Italy, AIFVS, PR for World Day 2007
UK, Dept for Transport PR for WDR 2007
Italy, FLG, PR for World Day 2008
FEVR, World Day 2009
UK, Research re road death bereaved, 2009
ETSC, Press Release for WDR 2010
FEVR Press Release, 2011
Oceania
New Zealand, Media Release, WDR 2010
Promotion