As part of UNAMID’s ongoing effort to create awareness about road risks and to promote attitude change for a safer approach to driving, the Mission began its annual road safety campaign in partnership with the Government of Sudan and under the theme "Road Safety Starts with You."

The Darfur-wide campaign, which began on 9 June 2013 and runs through 20 June, is designed to increase awareness about safety issues, reduce the number of accidents and sensitize the public to traffic regulations. In addition, in the upcoming week, campaign organizers will be focused on raising awareness about environmental issues by highlighting ways to minimize vehicle operating costs through, for example, efficient maintenance programmes and ride-sharing practices.

A series of events are scheduled for the week, including a march, a radio drama play, public information announcements, video presentations, awareness seminars and safety checkpoints across Darfur.

Due to the increase in traffic accidents globally, the UN General Assembly has instructed all peacekeeping missions, UN Agencies and key partners around the world to strengthen their cooperation on road safety and to continue raising road safety awareness at the international and national levels by organizing advocacy events and scaling up
existing efforts.