“Young people under 25 years represent almost 40% of the victims of road traffic injuries. Annually,we lose around 400,000 young lives and damage millions more. This means that every month, we arelosing more than 30,000 lives and every day, a day just like this one, more than 1,000 young lives arecoming to an end. We are certain that you share not only our concern, but are keen to change thissituation. We are confident that you, like us, refuse to pay this high a price for transportation,transportation that was initially meant to better our lives.”Youth Declaration for Road Safety- Moscow, November 2009 ...And unless more comprehensive global action is taken, the number of deaths and injuries is likely to rise significantly.On the 19th of November 2009, more than 70 Ministers of Transport, Health and Interior and other senior government officials from 150 countries adopted the "Moscow Declaration" at the close of the First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. a milestone road safety event hosted by the Government of the Russian Federation. This historic document invites the UN General Assembly to declare a Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. President Dmitry Medvedev addressed the meeting attended by about 1.500 government ministers; representatives of UN agencies; officials from civil society organizations; leaders of private companies; and other road safety experts. Participants drew the attention to the need for action to address the large and growing global impact of road traffic crashes; reviewed progress on implementation of the World report on road traffic injury prevention; and shared information and good practices on road safety. Several meetings were hosted in the margins of the Ministerial Conference, such as the meeting of YOURS (Youth for Road Safety) - a youth-led organization that acts to keep young people safe on the world's roads. Mr Patrick Lepercq, Corporate Vice President Public Affairs of Michelin challenged the young people to bring good ideas to the table and hoped for more youth involvement in the future. Finally Mr Etienne Krug, WHO Director of the Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability, welcomed the youth leaders with congratulations for the launch of YOURS.After the words of the dignitaries it was time for the youth to share their ideas. Nellie Ghusayni gave a presentation on the global traffic injury problem and global prevention efforts. She told the audience about the high risks young people face and what can be done (helmets, speed limits, alcohol limits, seatbelts and child restraints). Floor Lieshout then explained the background of YOURS and how it evolved in an independent youth NGO. His main message was the importance of global collaboration between and with young people. Young people are the causes of many tragedies on the road and must also be part of the solution.      Jennifer Heatly, vice-chair of the Canadian Road Safety Youth Committee told about the situation in Canada and the national prevention efforts. Their focus is on advocacy and creating a youth network from coast to coast. Axel Druart, European Project Director of Responsible Young Drivers, was the final speaker and explained how the youth network is working together in Europe. He mentioned many European campaigns and he is a strong believer of positive peer-to-peer communication.The audience reactions were extremely positive. The Global initiative and the excellent progression of the European Network were very well received. For instance, the European Youth Forum for Road Safety draw the attention of other institutions / NGOs. The Russian Federation was quite keen of using the European experience in order to create a similar forum. In Africa, they seemed quite impressed by the European Night Without Accident and requested some advice in order to find the possibilities to organize such a campaign all across Africa. The Arabian World found also some interest in the projects as it proves that it is adaptable to other countries, other cultures. Various other European projects were also developed during this presentation. The day before the Ministerial Conference, the youth leaders gathered for a meeting to discuss about the youth issues in road safety and adopted a Youth Declaration for Road Safety, urging all players in the field of road safety to keep in mind the victims of road crashes, especially all the young people, and to join YOURS in its efforts to change the current situation. This declaration was presented to all attendants of the Ministerial Conference during the opening ceremony, where YOURS, together with President Medvedev and others, addressed the delegates. For more information or to download the youth declaration in your language (if already available), feel free to visit YOURS internet website at: www.youthforroadsafety.com. Looking forward to reading your comments, I send you my                                      Warmest regards, Axl