HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani launched the second action plan (2018-2022) of the National Traffic Safety Strategy on Tuesday. 
The new plan follows the achievements of the 1st Qatar Action Plan aimed at reducing fatalities and grievous injuries in road accidents. 
Several ministers, senior officials from Kuwait and Oman, and experts in traffic safety were among those present. Later, the 5th Forum of the Stakeholder Co-ordinators was held.
In a video address, the United Nations Secretary General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, lauded the efforts of Qatar to reduce the number of road accident deaths since the launch of the 1st Qatar Action Plan in 2013.
While expressing the hope that Qatar would achieve remarkable levels of sustainable development by 2030 as enshrined in the Qatar National Vision, Todt said the figures of reduced fatalities made available at the end of the first action plan indicated that the country was moving in the right direction and has been in the forefront among the Middle East nations in reducing the number of road accidents.
The UN official said the world forum has reaffirmed its commitment on the issue (of reducing road accidents) and has put in place an array of resolutions, which called upon the member countries to reduce the number of road accident deaths by 50% at the end of 2020.
Todt also spoke highly of the achievements of the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) and officials of the Directorate of Traffic since the launch of the National Traffic Safety Strategy five years ago (in January 2013). Qatar has been able to occupy a prominent position at the global level as well in this area, said the UN official.
Director General of Traffic Brigadier Mohamed Saad al-Kharji said the 2nd Action Plan would get considerable support from all stakeholders and the country's residents.
The plan would also be supported actively by a global level security system adopted by the United Nations to meet the growing requirements of fast-developing countries such as Qatar.
It is learnt that 35 agencies and institutions, including various departments of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Ministry of Municipality and Environment, and Mowasalat, are among those to be actively involved in making the second action plan a success.
The NTSC secretary general Brigadier Mohamed Abdullah al-Malki said security and safety in the transportation of individuals and commodities constituted the backbone of the development of every society. 
He explained that the implementation of the 2nd Action Plan would involve almost thrice the number of stakeholders compared to the first plan.
While there were only 13 agencies, institutions and ministries in the first plan, the second plan would have the participation of 35 government bodies. There would be more than 350 plans and initiatives now compared to 198 in the first phase, he said. 
For the successful implementation of the second phase HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, who is also the NTSC chairman, has entrusted the secretariat to organise the ongoing forum of co-ordinators with the co-operation of all concerned parties.
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