BANGKOK, Thailand – The Cabinet has approved Thailand’s membership in the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO), enhancing the country’s role in regional cooperation on road safety data, policy development, and knowledge sharing. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploytalay Laksameesangchan stated that the Cabinet approved the Ministry of Public Health’s proposal and authorized officials to finalize the membership agreement.
Under the arrangement, the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control will sign as the confirming authority, while the Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation will serve as Thailand’s Lead Agency for Road Safety. The Director of the Division of Injury Prevention will act as the country’s focal person for APRSO.
APRSO is a regional platform supported by international organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Transport Forum (ITF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It promotes improved road safety data systems, information sharing, and the exchange of effective practices among member countries.
Thailand participated in the Global Regional Road Safety Observatories meeting on October 11–12, 2022, and was later invited to join APRSO. The government expects the membership to improve systematic road safety data collection and analysis, strengthen evidence-based policy development, and expand cooperation with regional and international partners to reduce road traffic risks. (NNT)
