About

The Child Health Initiative operates as a collaborative partnership, with a focus on global and national advocacy, research, and programme implementation. It is hosted at and coordinated by the FIA Foundation

The Global Picture

Safe and sustainable transportation is gaining recognition as essential for delivery of the Global Goals development priorities. But children and young people are still being pushed to the margin when it comes to strategic urban and road traffic planning. The results are devastating, unnecessary and preventable: road crashes are still the leading global cause of death for children and young adults aged 5 – 29.

Efforts to combat climate change and to achieve the objectives set by the Paris Agreement and the Habitat III ‘new urban agenda’ slowly progressed and being realised. Yet safe active mobility, although vital for achieving climate objectives, remains a neglected, under-invested area.

Our Mission

To build a coalition of country and donor support for the objective of a safe and healthy journey to school for all children by 2030 through advocacy and implementation of ‘safe system’ transportation design and urban planning.

Our mission is being delivered by promoting safe footpaths, cycle lanes and lower vehicle speed limits, along with legislation and interventions for safe motorcycle helmets, seat belt use and accessible, clean air and safe and affordable public transport.

This is being done in alignment with Global Goal targets 3.6 (road safety); 3.9 (air quality); 11.2 (safe & sustainable urban mobility); and 11.7 (safe, green & accessible public space).

Our Objective

Our objective is to provide a voice for the particular needs and rights of children within transportation and urban mobility policymaking. We aim to highlight the serious and costly health impacts on the young, of unsafe roads and air pollution, and to demonstrate, through applied research, programmatic support and technical assistance, the many effective available solutions.

  • Partners such as the FIA Foundation have been at the forefront of the global advocacy for adolescents, we have very much welcomed this collaboration as it has been invaluable in ensuring a focus on road traffic injury which really must be addressed as a major burden for young people globally. We’ve seen commitments taken forward and this is most encouraging. But what we now really need is delivery and results.
    Helen Clark, Board Chair, PMNCH and Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • Too often, the most vulnerable road users – child pedestrians – are not adequately considered in the design of new roads. As a result, road ‘improvements’ often lead to injuries and deaths. But it does not have to be like this. Through the Safe Schools Africa partnership, we are applying our pedestrian infrastructure principles on larger projects financed by governments and development banks. We are saving lives across the continent, keeping children and others safe.
    Ayikai Poswayo, Programme Director, Amend
  • With the FIA Foundation’s support and the partnership with the Ministry of Transport, we have developed and successfully piloted the Safe School Zone (SSZ) Guide, a comprehensive blueprint for creating safe school zones in Vietnam. The SSZ Guide, a first-of-its-kind in the country, has demonstrated tangible results in enhancing school zone safety. We are confident that the SSZ Guide will contribute significantly to improving the safety and wellbeing of students across the country.
    Mirjam Sidik, CEO, AIP Foundation

Partners

  • AIP Foundation
  • Amend
  • Les Ambassadeurs de la Sécurité Routière
  • Clean Air Asia
  • EASST
  • FIA Foundation
  • Fondation Botnar
  • Fundacion Aleatica
  • Fundația Crucea Albă
  • Global Designing Cities Initiative
  • Global Road Safety Partnership
  • ITDP
  •  Overseas Development Institute
  • Safe Kids Worldwide
  • Save the Children
  •  The George Institute
  • UNEP
  • UNICEF
  • Safe Routes
  • Van Leer Foundation
  • WHO
  •  World Resources Institute