On 11 October 2017, the UN, through UNITAR, and the Royal Automobile Club of Spain, signed the agreement to create the first training centre specialised in road safety. Attending this important event was Nikhil Seth, the Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of UNITAR; the Chairman of RACE, Carmelo Sanz; and the Spanish Ambassador before the UN in Geneva, Cristóbal González-Aller.

This UN training centre, to be administered by RACE, has a work plan that includes skills training programmes, such as the creation of a postgraduate course leading to a degree of Expert in Road Safety Management and Administration, in collaboration with the European University. It will allow professionals to extend their knowledge in a variety of areas relating to prevention and intervention, through the creation of a number of practical case studies. The Centre will also be responsible for other academic levels, including continuous training courses for road safety experts, and a programme of theme-based seminars, such as specialist day-long sessions and encounters with world-renowned authorities in the field of road safety.

According to the UN Assistant Secretary-General, Nikhil Seth, “The partnership between UNITAR and RACE is an important step in strengthening the individual and institutional handling of road safety. Through this partnership, UNITAR and RACE will establish the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) in the City of Madrid specialising in road safety, to benefit government officials and leaders around the world. This collaboration provides an unprecedented opportunity to enhance our institutional strengths and improve road safety.”

For Carmelo Sanz de Barros, President of RACE, “the signing of the agreement at the Palace of the United Nations to create the UN Training Centre constitutes a milestone for RACE and for Spain, as it recognises the work of recent years on road safety. But it also represents an ambitious challenge to boost research, training and awareness around the world. We are faced with the goal of helping other countries reduce the thousands of tragedies that occur every day around the world as a result of traffic accidents. Now, through this training centre, we are putting our experience and knowledge at the service of the United Nations to improve accident prevention.”