3M engaging partners in Latin-America for safer school zones

SR4S’s Global Programme Partner 3M has been leading discussion on safe school zones across Latin-American countries. A core team has been defined in Latin-America, trained on SR4S and is now contacting relevant stakeholders at local and national levels to trigger commitments on safe school zones. 3M has also hosted webinar series to Latin-American countries, in which iRAP introduced SR4S to governments, local organisations and private sector.

• In Panama and Guatemala, 3M has been working with FIA clubs Asociacion Automovilistica De Touring Y Deportes De Panama and Automovil Club de Guatemala, respectively, local authorities and local partners to undertake SR4S pilot assessments and showcase school zone upgrades.
• In Colombia, 3M has been discussing with Touring Y Automovil Club De Colombia synergies for collaboration on school zones. 3M is also engaging local governments in different cities and concession companies to advocate for safe school zones and discuss SR4S pilots.
• In Peru, 3M has been working at the local and national levels. In Lima, 3M has partnered with the Municipality of Lima, IDB, WRI and iRAP to discuss a SR4S pilot, and at the national level 3M has been supporting the Ministry of Transport and Communications on engaging the 25 Peruvian Regions to undertake school zone projects supported by SR4S.
• In Chile, 3M has partnered with the National Road Safety Commission (CONASET), IADB and local partners including the local road safety authority, municipal authority and school principals of 6 local schools. The pilot project was launched in October 2020 via webinar. The 6 schools have been selected from a south area of Santiago, in Puente Alto. 3M and CONASET plan to assess these schools and investigate potential financing of upgrades through sponsorship to turn this pilot experience into a program for schools from all over the country.

In 2020, 12 team members from 3M in Latin-America have attended the SR4S video courses, learning about the SR4S Programme and understanding how to structure school assessment projects and undertake assessments with SR4S. After their successful completion of the video course, iRAP delivered a Training of Trainers to this Latin-American SR4S core 3M team, allowing the 12 trainees to deliver training and mentoring to local partners on SR4S assessments. Building up on this experience, 3M in Asia and Oceania have started discussing a similar programme structure to engage regional partners and deliver safe school journeys supported by SR4S.