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Bangladesh has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50 percent by 2030, highlighting a series of legal, policy and technology-driven reforms aimed at making the country’s roads safer.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam reiterated the commitment while addressing the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety at the UN Headquarters in New York on Monday.
According to an official message received in Dhaka, the minister outlined Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts to align its road safety strategy with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
He highlighted a range of initiatives undertaken by the government, including the expansion of AI-enabled speed management systems, strengthening post-crash emergency response mechanisms and implementing targeted safety measures on highways, particularly to protect pedestrians.
The minister also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to finalising, endorsing and enacting a comprehensive Road Safety Law by December 2027, in line with the internationally recognised Safe System Approach and global best practices.
Describing road safety as a national political priority, Rabiul said achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of halving road fatalities by the end of the decade would require sustained political commitment, stronger institutional capacity, effective partnerships and shared responsibility among governments, development partners and road users.
“Bangladesh remains committed to working with the international community to build safer, healthier and more equitable roads for all,” he said.
The UN High-Level Meeting brought together ministers, policymakers and road safety experts from around the world to review progress towards the global target of significantly reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
Bangladesh has identified road safety as one of its key development priorities amid concerns over the high number of road crashes each year. The government has stepped up efforts in recent years through infrastructure improvements, stricter enforcement of traffic regulations, enhanced driver training and the introduction of modern technologies to improve traffic management.
The Bangladesh delegation at the UN meeting is led by Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam.
Other members include Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Dr Mohammed Ziaul Haque, Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, and Bangladesh Road Safety Project Director Mohammad Shabbir Hasan Khan.