Global Advocacy

Global Representation

FIA Mobility Policy Commission

The FIA Mobility Policy Commission played a central role in the development and execution of a wide range of programmes aimed at reinforcing the FIA’s position as the global voice for road users.

These include designing the Federation’s Global Advocacy programmes in alignment with the overall FIA Mobility Strategy, guiding the development of the first FIA Youth and Mobility Survey, and structuring the New Mobility Market Tracker.

The Commission also continued to develop road safety strategies in collaboration with the International Road Assessment Programme (iRap), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, and provided feedback on the execution of global advocacy projects such as the FIA Road Safety Index, the FIA Disabled Motoring Website, the Life Cycle Assessment and vehicle emissions.

Lastly, the Commission worked alongside the FIA Environment and Sustainability Commission on the Federation’s participation in the COP28 in Dubai.

Intergovernmental Engagement

During 2023, the FIA joined the ITF Summit, engaging with policy makers from OECD countries and key transport stakeholders, supported the Vision Zero Conference promoted by the Swedish Transport Administration and supported by WHO and the World Bank, and worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) across a number of areas of engagement.

These included work with the UN’s Inland Transport Committee (ITC), the WP1 Global Forum for Road Safety, and the WP29, the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations. Experts from FIA Member Clubs contributed to a number of technical areas, such as Lighting and Light-Signalling, Pollution and Energy, Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles and the Electric Vehicle Environment.

International Actions

Supporting Members and Regions

FIA Road Safety Grants Programme

FIA Sustainable Mobility Programme

Regional Support 

As part of the FIA’s commitment to empowering its Regions, a new scheme for the allocation of Mobility Grants funded by the FIA Foundation was developed for 2023. Grants were allocated to support regional projects in alignment with the priorities of each Mobility Region.

In 2023, this support went to: 

• Region I – 2023 European Traffic Education Contest; Region I pan-regional 2023 road safety campaigns; 2023 International Best Young Driver contest; strengthening FIA participation in the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, hosted by the UN
• Region II – Heads Up campaign; Helmets for Kids; FIA School Assessment Toolkit
• Region III – Toolkit for advocacy support to Region III Clubs
• Region IV – FIA Road Safety Index; Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles project; FIA School Assessment Toolkit

A Safer Mobility Future

FIA Road Safety Index

Launched at the end of 2022, the FIA Road Safety Index, a methodology to assess the safety footprint of companies and organisations, was promoted at a variety of FIA global and regional events and at the Vision Zero Conference (Stockholm, 26-27 June) where the FIA announced TotalEnergies as the first private company to receive 3 stars, the highest level of achievement in the Index.

The methodology behind the Index was also published on fia.com and is accessible to all companies and organisations around the world. The Federation also began an educational and training programme for FIA Member Clubs to increase implementation.

Movernos Seguros

Movernos Seguros is an FIA-IDB programme that supports and accompanies government actions to create or strengthen mandatory vehicle insurance. The programme operates with the involvement of FIA Region IV and the following Clubs: the Touring y Automóvil Club Paraguayo, the Automóvil Club de El Salvador, the Asociación Hondureña de Automovilismo Deportivo, the Automóvil Club de Guatemala, the Automóvil Club de Costa Rica, the Touring Y Automóvil Club de Perú and the Jamaica Automobile Association.

In 2023, the advocacy component of the programme was expanded with the launch of a dedicated website and the deployment of market research surveys in Paraguay, Colombia, El Salvador and Costa Rica on attitudes and perceptions towards mandatory insurance. Three more surveys are in development, in Guatemala, Peru and Jamaica.

Thanks to the work of Movernos Seguros, the World Health Organization collected data about motor insurance policy which was released as part of its Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023.

Vision Zero: The Journey to Safer Roads in the Middle East

In accordance with Vision Zero’s goal to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all, in 2023 the FIA, in partnership with Strategy&, part of the PwC network, carried out research into road safety in the Gulf Cooperation Council area.

The resulting report, entitled ‘Vision Zero: The Journey to Safer Roads in the Middle East’ found that countries across the GCC could save thousands of lives annually, and boost economic growth, if they succeed in attaining key global road safety performance targets.

The report set out a path for GCC countries to improve their traffic safety record through action in five areas:

• Improving infrastructure through the integration of safety standards into the design and operation of an individual road or network to reduce deaths and serious injuries;
• Promoting smart vehicles by retrofitting existing vehicles with new technologies that offer greater passenger protection;
• Empowering commuters though the provision of real-time information about road conditions and traffic flows;
• Deploying smart technologies to support better traffic and incident management;
• Ensuring a robust enforcement of road traffic laws.

Read the full report here.

Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and funded by the United Nations Road Safety Fund, the Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles project aims to facilitate the development of policies and standards on used vehicles to meet the increasing mobility needs of low- and middle-income countries while protecting the environment.

The FIA is supporting the project. This year, the FIA hosted a meeting with representatives from UNEP, EC, Japan, Korea and the US focusing on the role of developed countries in setting standards for safety and sustainability in used vehicle exports.

Delft Road Safety Training

The FIA promoted, in cooperation with the Delft University, capacity building training on road safety and advocacy for its Member Clubs. A module was organised in Bali, for the Asia Pacific region, and a second offering was held for African Clubs in Tanzania.

More than 50 staff from FIA Member Clubs attended the training.

INCLUSIVE MOBILITY

Disabled Motoring

In collaboration with the ITF, the FIA began a review and update process for the FIA Disabled Motoring Website. The website is currently the only database that provides disabled motorists with information about parking and mobility worldwide.

Disabled Motoring Travel Opportunities For Motorists With a Disability

FIA Youth and Mobility Survey

In partnership with polling organisation Kantar, the FIA conducted a survey of 9,000 young people from across the US, Germany, China, India, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Kenya, and Spain.
The survey focused on 16-25-year-olds’ attitudes towards mobility.

Visit fia.com for more information.

FOSTERING CLEANER, SMARTER MOBILITY

FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme

The FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme helps FIA stakeholders worldwide to measure and improve their environmental performance, introducing clear and consistent environmental management and providing a framework against which to accredit their activities over three levels of certification, from basic to best practice.

Four Mobility Members received star ratings in 2023. The Automobile Association of South Africa was awarded one star, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Automobile Club (BIHAMK) and CAA Niagara were given two-star accreditation, while the Real Automòbil Club de Catalunya (RACC) reached the top tier of three stars. A total of 12 Mobility Members have now received the rating while 21 others are currently undergoing the audit process.

Life Cycle Assessment

During 2023, the FIA expanded the rollout of its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) modules, taking in FIA Region IV Clubs.

The LCA methodology estimates a car’s environmental impact over its entire lifetime. It offers valuable advocacy opportunities for Clubs and is a useful tool to better inform consumers, as it has been included in the GreenNCAP protocols.

In 2023, the FIA provided training for Region IV Clubs and engaged in data collection in the Region. Expansion in India has now started with the involvement of the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA).

FIA Smart Driving Challenge

In April 2023, the FIA and Greater Than, a driving data analytics company for road traffic crash probabilities and climate impact, launched a new season of the FIA Smart Driving Challenge (FIA SDC). First held in 2019, the challenge is an initiative that aims to foster the adoption of smarter driving behaviour, helping to improve safety on the roads and reduce the environmental impact of mobility.

The 2023 Season consisted of seven heats, with the final held in Dubai, with the support of FIA Member Club the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO).

Drivers from 79 countries competed in the 2023 challenge and on average they saw a 13% reduction in battery usage or CO₂ emissions compared to the average driver.

The FIA and Greater Than also hosted a dedicated challenge for the Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress and a special ‘Drive Change Today’ FIA Smart Driving Challenge for COP28.

The FIA at COP28 – Accelerating a Sustainable Future

The FIA participated in a United Nations Climate Change Conference as an Observer to the UNFCCC for the first time at the COP28 gathering in Dubai.

Over the course of the conference fortnight, the FIA leveraged its unique position as a representative of both motor sport and mobility, running a dedicated stand in the Blue Zone, hosting a motor sport and mobility sustainability event in the Green Zone on Transport Day, publishing a white paper on the need for a just mobility transition, launching ‘Drive Change Today’ a dedicated FIA Smart Driving Challenge for COP28, and participating in the promotion of the ISO Net Zero Guidelines.

The Transport Day event on the Green Zone’s Main Stage gathered experts and leaders from across motor sport and mobility for discussions around the circular economy, the transfer of technology from the track to the road, and road transport policy.

The dedicated FIA Smart Driving Challenge, dubbed ‘Drive Change Today’, allowed people from around the world to reduce their emissions and energy consumption and make their mark on COP28 during the conference fortnight.

As one of the first organisations to adopt the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Net Zero Guidelines to refine its decarbonisation strategy, the FIA was invited by the British Standard Institution (BSI group) to share its experience on their Blue Zone stand and as part of a panel discussion hosted by Reuters.

At COP28, the Federation also announced that it has joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Senseable City Lab to research improved sustainable mobility patterns in the UAE to reduce the carbon footprint of major events in the country.

Finally, to raise awareness of its actions in the sustainability arena, the Federation also published a white paper ‘Accelerating a Just Transition: The Motor Sport and Mobility Perspective’. The document explores a wide variety of cutting-edge sustainable technology solutions for mobility and motor sport. Key topics include sustainable fuels, the future of powertrains and infrastructure, consumer engagement, as well as shared knowledge and innovation transfer between track and road.

Learn more about the FIA’s participation in COP28 here.