On 6 June, EASST organised a networking event to support the public launch of our EASST Coalition for Safe Routes to School in Riga, Latvia. The event took place alongside the EBRD’s Annual Meeting, in which EASST participated as part of the civil society programme.
The EASST Coalition for Safe Routes to School is a regional, multi-year initiative supported by the FIA Foundation Advocacy Hub, working to make the journeys children take to and from school safer across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Building on five years of proven impact, including the delivery of more than 1,000 reduced-speed school zones and meaningful policy change across the region, this new phase takes our work a step further.
The initiative will operate at two levels. At the policy level, it will work with interested IFIs to explore how child road safety can be more systematically reflected in major investments. At the project level, it will work with national partners to strengthen the enabling environment needed for safe school zones to be included in road design, funding and delivery.
To ensure the work is locally owned and sustainable, the initiative operates through a network of NGO partners and national focal points. These partners will work alongside interested IFIs, with input from relevant local stakeholders, to help shape and co-develop practical approaches, supported by a regional Technical Forum providing strategic guidance and helping to inform policy change across the region.
The EBRD Annual Meeting brings together representatives of multilateral development banks, national governments, civil society organisations and international partners from across the regions where we work. For a coalition whose mission is to connect child road safety advocacy with large-scale road investment, this provided the perfect opportunity to introduce the initiative.
Throughout the Annual Meeting, EASST is participating in the EBRD’s civil society programme, which includes sessions on the role of civil society as a catalyst for impact, a meeting with the EBRD President, and engagement with the Board of Directors. Alongside these sessions, we are hosting a number of practical sessions and meetings bringing together EASST partners and key stakeholders to mark the initiative’s launch, make new connections, and explore opportunities for collaboration.
The launch of the EASST Safe Routes to School Coalition Register is a key milestone for the initiative.
We are inviting individuals and organisations who share our commitment to safer journeys for children to join us – whether you are an NGO, government body, research institution, development finance professional, or simply someone who cares about child road safety.
Signing up to the Coalition register is free and signals your support for the initiative’s goals. Registered members will be kept informed of the Coalition’s activities, publications and opportunities to get involved.
Source: EASST news
