Empowering Mayors to lead change on road safety, climate change and urban health.

On 19 February 2025, the Global Cities Hub (GCH) had the honour of opening a high-level Mayor’s Panel at the 4th WHO Global Ministerial Road Safety Conference, alongside city leaders from Paris, New York, Marrakech, and Guayaquil. With over 100 ministers from around the world in attendance and UN high-level officials like Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO Director General), Jean Todt (UN Special Envoy for Road Safety) and Tatiana Molcean (UNECE Executive Secretary), it was remarkable to see an international conference dedicate one of its plenary sessions specifically to cities and mayors—a testament to their central role in shaping global policy.

In her opening remarks, GCH Co-director Anh Thu Duong emphasized the importance of cities in tackling major global challenges: “It is essential to focus on cities. Whether it’s a question of health, environment, migration, disaster response, sustainable development or road safety, cities are often at the heart of the issues, but also of their solutions. Including mayors in policy making strengthens multilateralism and makes it even more legitimate”.

Cities are major traffic hubs. Mayors play a key role in urban planning and significantly influence the behaviour and mobility of their residents. While road safety is often overlooked on political agendas, it is deeply interconnected with broader issues like climate change, public health, and sustainable development.

Urban environments function as complex systems with elements that are inextricably linked to one another. Mayors, with their multi-stakeholder and multisectoral approach, can create synergies between diverse actors, sectors and issues. A strong example comes from Paris, where Mayor Anne Hidalgo has reclaimed public space for pedestrians and cyclists while implementing speed restrictions. “The COVID-19 pandemic and the Olympic Games gave me the chance to take bold action and accelerate the transformation of urban public space. It hasn’t been easy, but no one would turn back on what we’ve achieved”, said Anne Hidalgo. The result? A 40% reduction in air pollution over the last decade. Beyond cleaner air, fewer cars mean fewer accidents, less economic burden for the society, and improved quality of life. Given that road traffic injuries claim over 1.2 million lives annually, integrating road safety into urban planning is not just a transportation issue—it’s a public health priority.

For mayors to implement bold, transformative policies, they need the right level of authority and autonomy. The devolution of powers to city leaders is essential for shaping safer, more sustainable, and more liveable cities.

In taking part in this high-level panel, the GCH reinforced the need for cities to have a voice in global decision-making. If international organizations want to remain relevant and offer effective solutions to today’s most pressing challenges, they must open their doors to cities—just as the WHO did at this conference.

By putting cities at the center of global discussions, we can drive meaningful change and create a safer, healthier future for all.