Empowering our Community: FIA hosts Mobility Region meetings at FIA General Assemblies week in Kigali

At its General Assemblies week, the FIA showcased the strength of its Regions, with a series of impactful meetings from across its global community.

During FIA Region I MENA Mobility Council, FIA Region II Plenary and FIA Regions III and IV meetings, delegates discussed everything from innovation and sustainability to preparing for the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.

FIA Region I MENA Mobility Council 

Opened by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA Region I MENA Mobility Council meeting chaired by Essa Hamza Alfailakawi, was the occasion for the FIA to reaffirm its commitment to promoting road safety and sustainability in the MENA region. 

FIA Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism Tim Shearman, and FIA Region I President Jorge F. Delgado, delivered welcome addresses, emphasising the importance of regional collaboration and innovation.

The agenda then moved to presentations from Secretary General for Automobile Mobility Willem Groenewald and FIA Chief Development Officer Habib Turki on how they can support Member Clubs in the region. 

Key updates included a Syrian Automobile Club initiative using social media and augmented reality to promote road safety and environmental awareness, and preparations for the 2025 FIA Region I Spring Meeting focusing on sustainable mobility solutions that will be hosted by Mobilité Club Maroc in Marrakesh.

The session also highlighted the importance of regional collaboration, identifying the upcoming 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety (Marrakesh, Morocco) as a key milestone to showcase progress.

During the meeting, Brigadier Salim bin Ali bin Khalifa al Maskary, former chairman of the Oman Automobile Association, was honoured with a moment of silence in recognition of his significant contributions to the FIA Community.

Region II Plenary   

Enhancing commercial sustainability, capacity building, and addressing critical road safety challenges, were key focuses in the FIA Region II Plenary meeting in Kigali chaired by Greig Craft.

The Plenary featured a lineup of guest speakers who provided Asia-Pacific Clubs with updates on key FIA initiatives relevant to the Region spanning innovation, road safety, mobility commercialisation, and collaboration with the FIA Foundation.  

FIA Secretary General for Automobile Mobility Willem Groenewald outlined the resources, skills, and initiatives that are offered to FIA Mobility Clubs in the Region. FIA Head of Membership Service Emily Mora discussed mobility membership benefits, reinforcing the FIA’s focus on innovation and growth.

FIA Road Safety & Global Advocacy Director Stefano Ammirati and Secretary of the Steering Committee of the FIA Safe Mobility 4 All and 4 Life programme Ignacio Fernandez announced the expansion of the programme into APAC in 2025, in partnership with UNITAR.

FIA Foundation Executive Director Saul Billingsley highlighted road safety advocacy opportunities, including how Clubs can leverage their attendance at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in February 2025 (Marrakesh, Morocco).

FIA Chief Development Officer Habib Turki provided updates on initiatives in China to boost Member engagement, promote FIA leadership, and enhance the Federation’s thought leadership in sport and mobility.

FIA Region III Meeting

Chaired by Frank Fotia, the FIA Region III meeting gathered representatives from across the Region to explore innovative strategies for advancing mobility and Club development. 

FIA Road Safety and Global Advocacy Director Stefano Ammirati underlined the FIA’s commitment to supporting its Regions in advancing safe, sustainable, and affordable mobility for all. 

FIA Head of Membership services Emily Mora highlighted initiatives such as the FIA University and global and regional events, that support knowledge-sharing, as well as the FIA Regional Development Programme, which aims to foster Club growth.

Additional programmes, including the FIA Innovation Challenge and the FIA-led One Road global loyalty programme were presented as tools to drive innovation, enhance Member retention, and boost income generation. The importance of the Club correspondent network was also emphasised as a vital element for fostering engagement and effective collaboration.

FIA Mobility Services Commission Chairman David Gabarró introduced the Commission’s work on business development through active working groups focusing on driver training, tourism, drones, and innovation. Plans for 2025 include launching a tourism services and reciprocity group and strengthening collaborations to leverage regional growth opportunities.

FIA Mobility Policy Commission Chairman Ian Jack presented the Commission as a forum for Clubs to express their views on the FIA advocacy programmes. He explained its role in ensuring Club concerns are prioritised in setting the FIA’s agenda and encouraged Members to share feedback or raise questions about ongoing and future plans.

FIA Region III Coordinator Helen Dunlop highlighted funding opportunities for advocacy, research, and training, while the Canadian Automobile Association presented tools that can support innovation and engagement. 

FIA Region IV Meeting

Capacity building and road safety were high on the agenda of the FIA Region IV meeting chaired by Ricardo Morales Rubio, with participants reviewing the progress made in these fields and defining their action plan for the coming year. 

The meeting allowed FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and FIA Senate President Carmelo Sanz de Barros to emphasise the importance of regional empowerment and strong collaboration in guaranteeing sustainable growth for the Federation as a whole. 

Among the highlighted 2024 achievements was the revitalised FIA University Region IV Programme. Thanks to the new partnership with the Business School of the Torcuato Di Tella University, participants from the Region had the chance to discover a whole new three-day curriculum, delivered entirely in Spanish. This programme focused on the analysis of economic trends, and covered various cutting-edge topics such as creative empathy, innovation, AI applications and how to promote a growth mindset.

Building on the success of its initial drone training session, FIA Region IV conducted a second one with a more professional focus. This training aimed to empower Members to explore drone services as a sustainable additional source of income. 

The first training held as part of the pilot of the “Safe Mobility 4 All and 4 Life programme was organised last November in Panama City, bringing together 15 participants representing 11 Member Clubs. The programme — which is the result of a partnership between the FIA, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the FIA Foundation — aimed to provide FIA Clubs and local authorities with the resources and expertise to improve road safety.

Saving lives on the road is a key objective for FIA Region IV Members.  Participants heard about the implementation of the FIA School Assessment Toolkit relying on iRAP’s Star Rating for School methodology, a post-crash response training organised in Ecuador with ANETA, and how the Automóvil Club de Guatemala is supporting the application of the FIA Road Safey Index at the national level, with the support of the Region and the FIA. 

The meeting also included an update on the financial results of the Region, President Ricardo Morales Rubio highlighted its strong financial performance and effective administration.