The recent launch of the ASEAN-WHO South-East Asia Regional Network for Road Safety Legislators brought together leaders from 10 countries to Bangkok, Thailand to unite parliamentarians and strengthen advocacy efforts to reduce road traffic injuries and fatalities across Southeast Asia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) coordinated the event, where international experts and local observers met to promote the formation of a regional network of countries in the WHO South-East and Western Pacific Regions and also strengthen regional mechanisms, such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. The meeting aligns with the goal of the Global Network for Road Safety Legislators to unite parliamentarians across the world behind advocacy efforts to support road safety policy actions.

AIP Foundation Thailand Country Manager, Mr. Sawai Seesai, joined the meeting to share key learnings and experiences from the passage of the national helmet law in Vietnam in 2007.

The Global Network for Road Safety Legislators was launched in December 2016 by the WHO and its partners in London, United Kingdom. The Global Network is led by a Leadership Council composed of parliamentarians representing the WHO’s six regions: the African Region, Region of the Americas, South-East Asia Region, European Region, Eastern Mediterranean Region, and Western Pacific Region.