H.M The Queen visited the exhibition on Tuesday. Previously, she has chaired a working meeting with members of the management team of Abertis and its Foundation, as well as UNICEF Spain
Abertis and its Foundation and UNICEF Spain have opened an exhibition in Madrid on the history and work of UNICEF to defend the rights of children around the world on the 75th anniversary of the organization.
The exhibition takes place within the framework of the strategic alliance that both entities have had since 2017 to reduce road accidents worldwide and, specifically, to raise awareness and end child road accidents, one of the main causes of death among schoolchildren in the world.
The exhibition recounts the work carried out by UNICEF throughout its 75-year history to assist minors affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters, famines and other emergency situations.
At a key moment worldwide in which children are being seriously impacted by the consequences of COVID-19, the exhibition aims to raise awareness through this historical journey about the great positive impact that UNICEF has generated on the whole of the society since its birth after World War II. At the same time, it seeks to highlight how this path marks and helps to build a present and a future in which each kid, wherever they may be, can grow and develop their full potential.
In addition, the exhibition also delves into the achievements that UNICEF Spain and Abertis and its Foundation have achieved in reducing traffic accidents with child victims throughout the world through their strategic alliance. Traffic accidents are among the top 10 causes of death in disadvantaged countries and are the leading cause of death among children and young adults ages 5 to 29. Every year, 1.35 million people lose their lives on the world's roads, of which almost 200,000 are children, most of them from developing countries on their way to school.
At Abertis we believe that road safety is vital to guarantee compliance with the sustainable development objectives. To guarantee the safety and protection of all users of road infrastructures, optimal construction, correct maintenance and accurate signage are necessary, but knowledge and awareness of the population are also necessary through road education to reduce accident rates.
In its fight to improve global road safety, Abertis and its Foundation signed a strategic alliance with UNICEF Spain to reduce infant mortality in the school population. Through the ‘Rights of Way’ project, actions are promoted that contribute to improving road safety in countries with fewer resources and reducing the impact of traffic accidents with child victims. This alliance is complemented by the collaboration of the Guttmann Institute, a leading entity in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.
The exhibition, which opened today, can be visited in two places in Madrid: from July 6 to 20 at Paseo de la Castellana, 39, in front of the Abertis headquarters, and from July 23 to August 23 at the Parque del Retiro. This morning H.M. the Queen visited the exhibition on Paseo de la Castellana, accompanied by members of the management team of Abertis and its Foundation, as well as UNICEF Spain.
Before the opening of the exhibition, a working meeting was held at the offices of the Abertis Group led by H.M. the Queen in which the work of the Abertis Foundation and some of its most outstanding projects have been presented, such as the environment and sustainability project UNESCO International Center for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves in alliance with UNESCO and the aforementioned 'Rights of Way' in partnership with UNICEF.
Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, president of UNICEF Spain, has assured that “it is a real pride to be able to touch through this exhibition so many stories of children that UNICEF has helped over 75 years. The organization was born to respond to the devastating consequences that World War II had for children and their families. And since then we have not stopped saving, protecting and empowering millions of children around the world every day. During these decades, we have achieved great milestones for children such as drastically reducing infant mortality figures or being the largest provider of vaccines worldwide. Without the support of thousands of people and committed companies and organizations like Abertis, none of this would be possible”.
Marcelino Fernández Verdes, president of Abertis, explained that “in order to reduce road accidents in all the countries in which we operate and to reduce the impact of these accidents on children, it is necessary to have sustainable infrastructures that offer safety”. In this sense, he added that “we have innovation programs that allow us to improve these processes and promote projects aimed at finding solutions for smart highways and integrated mobility. Our commitment is to achieve sustainable, safe and connected infrastructures”. In addition, it has valued that "advances in high capacity infrastructures with new technologies to promote innovative solutions are the key to facing the challenges of future sustainable mobility".
José Aljaro, CEO of Abertis, stated that “road safety is a global priority and one of the main objectives of the Group, due to the accident rate on the roads, which causes the death of 1.35 million people every year in all the world". Aljaro also recalled the Abertis Group's commitment to preventing traffic accidents by improving infrastructures and continuously evaluating all aspects of road safety management to take preventive measures and reduce the risk of traffic accidents. and its severity.
Elena Salgado, president of the Abertis Foundation, has declared that “the reduction of traffic accidents, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations, is one of the priorities for the Abertis Foundation, which since its inception has worked in this field to achieve greater awareness and sensitization on road safety. From Abertis and its Foundation, we are proud to continue collaborating with UNICEF to contribute to this”.
Exhibition detail
About the alliance between UNICEF and Abertis
Abertis has been a strategic ally of UNICEF since 2017, committed to fighting one of the leading causes of death among schoolchildren: traffic accidents. Under this umbrella, the alliance focuses on alleviating the lack of safe infrastructures in school areas, improving the behavior of drivers and companions and promoting safe and sustainable mobility for children in cities, reinforcing the available resources, as well as the legislation in high-risk countries in relation to road safety, promoting its dissemination and compliance.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the most difficult places to help the world's most disadvantaged children. In 190 countries and territories, they work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for all.
About Abertis and its Foundation
Abertis is one of the leading international operators in the management of toll roads, with nearly 8,600 kilometers of high-capacity, high-quality roads in 16 countries in Europe, America and Asia. For Abertis, the safety of the drivers is the priority. Committed to research and innovation, Abertis combines advances in high-capacity infrastructures with new technologies to promote innovative solutions to meet the mobility challenges of the future.
The Abertis Foundation was born in 1999 as a non-profit organization, with the aim of responding to the impact that the economic activity of the Abertis Group has in the different territories and countries where the Group is present. The Foundation has always given priority to actions related to road safety, the environment and social action, in line with the Abertis Sustainability strategy and the Abertis Group's commitment to road safety.
In 2006, the Abertis Foundation's Road Safety Program was born, where the shares of all the Abertis Group's subsidiary companies are also channeled. The program aims to sensitize people about the need for safe, sustainable and responsible mobility. The safety actions are mainly focused on the training of schoolchildren, the sensitization of young people and the awareness of older drivers, through the social integration of people with disabilities.
The Foundation's headquarters, located in Castellet Castle, has been the UNESCO International Center for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves since 2014. As a result of this agreement, signed by the Government of Spain and UNESCO, a unique and pioneering center has been created in its category which is a model of public-private collaboration.
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