Road safety remains a critical challenge across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, where deaths among users of powered two- and three-wheelers have risen significantly over the past decade. According to the Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, the share of road traffic fatalities involving 2/3-wheelers in the region increased from 14% to 17% between 2010 and 2021, with Pakistan, Iran, and Tunisia showing disproportionately high rates. In Pakistan, where 80% of registered vehicles are motorcycles or rickshaws, 39% of all traffic deaths involve 2/3-wheeler users. Despite existing plans and legislation, none of the four targeted countries currently enforce national helmet laws aligned with WHO best-practice criteria, and compliance with UN Regulation No. 22 on helmet standards remains limited. These gaps, confirmed through WHO consultations, national assessments, and legislative reviews, highlight the urgent need for stronger, evidence-based laws, more effective enforcement mechanisms, and improved institutional coordination.

To address this growing burden, the project proposes a comprehensive Safe System–aligned intervention package focused on strengthening legal frameworks, enforcement systems, and institutional capacity in I.R. Iran, Oman, Pakistan, and Tunisia. The project will promote the adoption and enforcement of national helmet laws that align with WHO and UN standards, including updated helmet regulations, robust quality-control systems, and full compliance with UN Regulation 22. It will also support the enhancement of compulsory skill testing frameworks for motorcycle licensing to ensure that riders demonstrate adequate competency before receiving a permit. In parallel, the project will strengthen the role of national lead agencies through improved crash data systems, gender-responsive reporting, institutional management models, and evidence-based policymaking tools. This multi-sectoral approach leverages a combination of legal reform, capacity building, data enhancement, and innovative technologies—including artificial intelligence–based enforcement mechanisms being explored in Oman.

The project will be implemented through close collaboration between WHO EMRO, WHO country offices, WHO headquarters, UNECE, UNDP, ADB, SSATP/World Bank, and national lead agencies. Two major regional workshops will guide countries through technical specifications for helmet standards, best-practice legislative measures, and enforcement models, allowing national teams to learn from global and regional experts. Country-specific roadmaps and legislative proposals will be developed based on gap analyses and stakeholder consultations, followed by advocacy efforts such as interministerial meetings, journalist training, and communication campaigns to build public and political support. The project explicitly aligns with national road safety strategies in all four countries—each of which prioritizes motorcycle safety—as well as the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/74/299 and the Global Plan for the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030.