WHO Brings Together Regional Experts to Boost Vehicle Safety Standards Across Asia.
Geneva:
The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with several international partners, has convened more than 40 senior officials from 14 countries to accelerate progress on vehicle safety across Asia—one of the world’s most high-risk regions for road fatalities. The three-day ASEAN+China road safety capacity-building workshop was held in Shenzhen, China, from 25–27 November 2025, aiming to strengthen regulations and promote global safety standards in line with UN guidelines.
Road crashes claim nearly 1.2 million lives every year, making vehicle safety a critical component of global road safety efforts. Yet, fewer than 20% of UN Member States have comprehensive laws that meet core UN vehicle safety regulations. In ASEAN countries, weak regulatory systems and outdated or unsafe vehicles dominate the market, significantly increasing the risk of injuries and deaths as the region’s vehicle fleet expands rapidly.
“With more than one billion motor vehicles on global roads—and that number expected to double by 2030—governments must urgently adopt and enforce UN safety standards,” emphasized Dr. Fangfang Luo, WHO Technical Officer on Safety and Mobility. He noted that harmonized laws for vehicle design, technology and oversight are essential to preventing road crashes and saving lives.
The workshop built on commitments outlined in the Marrakech Declaration on Global Road Safety, adopted by ministers from over 100 countries in February 2025. The declaration urges nations to update their vehicle safety legislation to ensure that all new vehicles meet minimum UN safety benchmarks. It also highlights the importance of adopting crash-prevention technologies, improving vehicle connectivity, and responsibly promoting automation to enhance overall road safety.
Throughout the workshop, participants examined four key areas:
- priority safety equipment standards and their implementation,
- technical inspection frameworks,
- the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), and
- emerging vehicle technologies with potential to improve safety outcomes.
A key highlight was the discussion on smart infrastructure and AI-powered monitoring systems capable of preventing crashes in real time. WHO and its partners stressed that aligning national regulations with UN standards would help ensure that advancing vehicle technologies—such as automation, advanced sensors and real-time data systems—are deployed safely and effectively.
The event concluded with a jointly developed regional action plan. This includes conducting seminars on crash investigations, particularly those involving motorcycles; coordinated efforts on road safety education; evaluations of modern automotive safety technologies; and research into automated vehicle deployment. A follow-up workshop is scheduled for late 2026 to assess progress and further strengthen cooperation.
The workshop was hosted by WHO in partnership with UNECE, the International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee (CITA), Global NCAP, the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre (CATARC), and the Malaysian Institute for Road Safety Research (MIROS), marking another step toward a safer future on Asia’s rapidly growing roads.
