UfM Webinar and Workshop: Safety in Public Transport
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) will host a 3-hour webinar and workshop on 'Violence against Women and Girls. Safety in Public Transport' on 16 December 2024, from 10:00 to 13:00 CET. This online event will feature the contributions of experts from governments, international organisations, and the transport sector to address the safety challenges faced by women and girls in public transport.
If public transport is to be the backbone of our sustainable mobility systems, it must also be efficient, accessible, affordable and inclusive. Yet, surveys reveal that the majority of women and girls feel unsafe when using public transport services. Globally, the high risk of verbal or physical harassment in these spaces discourages many women from using public transport and leads them to opt for private vehicles as a safer option when possible.
These challenges call for a wide range of interventions: from targeted infrastructural and operational improvements to public awareness campaigns, from ad hoc employee training to ICT-based reporting systems, and more. By bringing together speakers from leading international transport organisations, governments, and civil society organisations, this online event organised by UfM seeks to raise awareness of the gendered dimension of safety issues in public transport and boost cross-sector collaboration building on best practices for safer public transport systems for everyone.
What is on the agenda?
The Webinar
From 10:00 to 11:00 CET, an impressive lineup of speakers will depict the current situation in data, share safety initiatives, and highlight the importance of community advocacy. The session will be moderated by Agne Vaitekenaite, Manager for Partnership Development at ERTICO-ITS Europe, and introduced by Dhouha Najjar, Acting Deputy Secretary General for Transport and Urban Development, UfM.
The panel, titled 'International and local perspectives on effective solutions and best practices towards a safer public transport for all' will then feature presentations from:
- Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General, International Association of Public Transport
- Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General, POLIS Network
- Marie-Hélène Bonneau, Director of Security Department, International Union of Railways
- Magdalena Olczak-Rancitelli, Senior Manager Institutional Relations and Summit & Focal Point on Gender, International Transport Forum
Francesc Carbonell, Head of Sector for Transport at UfM, will wrap up the session with a summary of the key points from the discussion and insights on the way forward.
The Workshop
Then, a practical workshop will unfold from 11:00 to 13:00 CET, providing a space for analysing real-life scenarios, exploring best practices and engaging in group discussions on how to improve safety in our public transport systems. The workshop will be trained by Dr Johanna Tzanidaki, Chief Innovation Officer, AYA Consulting, and introduced by Francesc Carbonell.
The workshop will feature three keynotes by:
- Marina Hesham, Assistant Lecturer of Economics, Cairo University, and PhD Researcher, Cairo University and University of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne
- Eva Grigoriadou, Architect, URBANA
- Tilly Chang, Executive Director, San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Find the event's agenda and concept note here.
