The FIA Foundation is working with the Government of India and partners to raise political and financial support for safe and sustainable mobility both nationally and globally. 

Together with ICCT India and the Raahgiri Foundation, the FIA Foundation convened a roundtable meeting in Delhi of organisations that are working on a range of aspects of sustainable mobility, representatives of India’s state and national Government, and Multilateral Development Banks. 

The agenda was focused on strengthening financing and policy making for safe and sustainable mobility across India. A key objective was also to provide input to the Government of India on including a focus on financing safe and sustainable mobility in upcoming G20 meetings. India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant gave a keynote address to the roundtable. 

Amitabh Kant said: “India is going through a process of rapid urbanisation, and it’s essential and necessary as we progress with our development that we do it off the back of public transportation, and off the back of cycling and walking. 

“If you look at American cities, they have been designed for cars not people. Instead we must design compact cities for people off the back of public transportation,” he said. 

The G20 Sherpa emphasised the importance of connecting walking and cycling to mass transportation in meeting sustainable development objectives. He called for urgent action to tackle air pollution. India has 42 out of the top 50 cities with the highest levels of air pollution globally, he said, and a transformation in sustainable mobility will be critical to address the situation. 

“It is also vital that we have safe and sustainable transportation at the forefront of the G20 agenda, and a priority within financing for development. We need a focus on this in the G20 particularly as it brings together developed economies, emerging markets and international financial institutions.” Mr. Kant pledged to take the agenda on safe and sustainable mobility through to upcoming G20 intergovernmental meetings in July in Brazil. 

This will complement input on financing safe and sustainable mobility that the FIA Foundation and partners have submitted to the G20. 

FIA Foundation Deputy Director Avi Silverman said that strengthened and more effective financing is needed to reach the objectives on safe and sustainable mobility that the Sherpa had emphasised. He presented ‘Life Support’ the Foundation’s agenda for strengthening catalytic financing on road safety. “At the FIA Foundation, we’re focused on how financing can be improved to deliver objectives on safe and sustainable mobility. Road safety needs to be addressed as it connects with agendas on climate and equitable economic development. 

“Too often financing is inaccessible, and does not effectively deliver these connected objectives. The result is transportation that is unsustainable, that contributes to air pollution, climate change and road traffic injury. We are delighted to be working in India with partners and the Government on an agenda that can address this, taking a strong agenda for safe and sustainable mobility to the G20.” 

Amit Bhatt, ICCT India Managing Director said: “We need a massive shift prioritising walking, cycling and public transport combined with very aggressive targets for electrification. 

“At ICCT here in Delhi we have been collecting real world data on urban emissions with the TRUE initiative. What we’ve seen is that the level of vehicle emissions really is unsustainable. For air quality, as well as the unacceptable impact of road traffic injury, we need to take a new approach to sustainable mobility.” 

Other organisations participating included the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, WRI India, iRAP, and the Western India Automobile Association.