HANOI, Vietnam– 23 June 2022

In Vietnam, over 17 million children are commuting between home and school 2-4 times per day. The dangers of the road are everywhere. Many children share the road with speeding trucks, they have no sidewalks to walk on going to school, and no standardized school zones exist yet. Alarmingly, traffic speeds around schools frequently and significantly exceed internationally recommended school zones’ speed limits.

In October 2021, AIP Foundation and the Ministry of Transport signed the Partnership Framework for theSafe School Zones (SSZ) Vietnam2021-2025 safeguard every child on their journey to and from school in Vietnam. In collaboration with our long-time partner, FIA Foundation, we are developing theSSZ Guideto address at a larger scale the problem of road crashes in school zones by ensuring the existing schools will be modified properly and to-be-built schools will meet standard requirements in terms of infrastructure elements. In addition, school-based education and communication activities will be an essential part of the SSZ Guide in order to complement infrastructure improvements and sustain road safety for schoolchildren.

This consultation workshop is organized in partnership with the Ministry of Transport and the University of Transport and Communications to gather inputs and comments from government entities and road safety/school safety practitioners on the draft SSZ Guide. This unique event is gather various experts for the first time in Vietnam. This is also great opportunity to engage all the delegates by sharing the objective of theS afe School ZonesVietnamprogram, the SSZ Guide development process, and how it will benefit the schools in Vietnam in the long run.

Beneficiaries communities, governmental entities, road safety experts, and stakeholders are all involved and aligned in our common goal to submit the SSZ Guide to the Ministry of Transport’s leadership for approval for national application tentatively in August 2022. This aligns with Vietnam’s National Road Safety Strategy, the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Decade of Action for Road Safety2021-2030. Together, we are getting closer to our vision of a world where all neighborhood streets are livable, safe, and sustainable.