David Ward and Bella Dinh-Zarr together with Congressman Gregory W. Meeks
David Ward with Jennifer Barsky and Marc Shotten of the World Bank at the EFC Foundation’s week in Brussels
The FIA Foundation has extended its current co-operation agreement with the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility until 2012. The Foundation’s Director General David Ward, visited Washington on June 18th to co-sign the agreement with Marc Juhel, the World Bank’s Sector Manager for Transport. The extension will enable the Facility to continue developing its work serving as a focal point for road safety donors committed to supporting the UN Decade of Action, and as a co-ordination mechanism for the road safety activities of the major multilateral development banks.
Whilst in Washington David Ward also met with US Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman Meeks is Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade which has oversight of the US contribution to the major multilateral development banks (MDBs). In their meeting David Ward highlighted the importance of the joint statement of co-operation agreed by the development banks (including the World Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, InterAmerican Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank) just prior to last November’s Moscow Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. Congressman Meeks expressed his strong support for the MDB’s new road safety focus and confirmed that their commitment to the Decade of Action will be focus of his policy dialogue with them.
Earlier in June the Foundation’s co-operation with the World Bank was highlighted at the annual European Foundation Centre annual meeting in Brussels. In a special session focussing on World Bank partnerships David Ward gave an overview of global road safety issues and the positive experience gained through partnering with the Global Road Safety Facility to which the Foundation has contributed grant support of $5 million. (See attached presentation).