As road safety leaders gathered in Marrakech for the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, GRSF and the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a meeting of the Network of Heads of National Road Safety Agencies on February 17 -- the day before the conference -- bringing together dozens of national road safety agency staff from around the world. The gathering provided a crucial platform for lead agencies to exchange experiences, address challenges, and strengthen collaboration to advance the goals of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

Opening remarks from global road safety leaders—including Abdessamad Kayouh (Morocco Minister of Transport and Logistics), Juan Carlos Munoz (Chile Minister of Transport and Telecommunications), Etienne Krug (WHO), Nicolas Peltier-Thiberge (World Bank), Said Dahdah (World Bank), and Nneka Henry (UN Road Safety Fund)—set the stage for a day of interactive discussions focused on actionable solutions.

At the heart of the meeting was small group discussions on four key themes:

• Assessing country progress and challenges in achieving global road safety targets.
• Enhancing the role of lead agencies in coordinating national road safety efforts.
• Harnessing innovative technology to improve road safety.
• Defining the future scope and activities of the Global Network.

Participants engaged in multiple discussion rounds, rotating between thematic tables to exchange insights, share best practices, and explore solutions for overcoming institutional, financial, and technical barriers that often come in the way of the effective delivery of road safety. These discussions reinforced the critical role of national road safety agencies in driving policy reforms, mobilizing resources, and coordinating the implementation of evidence-based interventions to save lives on the road.

In the closing session, facilitators from each thematic group presented key takeaways and proposed next steps for the Global Network. Discussions highlighted the value of continued knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and cross-regional cooperation to strengthen national road safety leadership.