Thanks to the support of FIA member clubs across the world this month will see us achieve one of the most significant milestone in the campaign for global road safety with the formal declaration of the next 10 years as the Decade of Action for Road Safety by the United Nations General Assembly.

The declaration follows on the work of the FIA Foundation and FIA clubs at the first-ever Global Ministerial Summit for Road Safety held in Moscow last November, where ministers from around the world endorsed our road safety goals. FIA clubs can be proud to have been part of this important process and to see a cause for which we have all campaigned for tirelessly for so many years now being recognised by the world community. It is also a testament to work of my predecessor, Max Mosley, whose work to improve safety in both motor sport and mobility is a lasting legacy of his presidency.

The FIA's sporting membership has also embraced the cause with the Decade of Action featuring during the launches of both the World Rally Championship and the new GT World Championship. Make Roads Safe is also due to be promoted to a huge global television audience through these championships and Formula One throughout this season.

You will be receiving a draft press release on the UN resolution to be tailored to your own needs and available for release in your own media markets. I encourage you to try to use this opportunity to help highlight your own clubs role in making our campaign objectives a reality.

Now, the major work begins towards meeting the Decade's targets to significantly reduce road deaths and injuries around the world. With the decade to be officially launched in early 2011, FIA clubs also have a chance to make public their road safety commitments. I look forward to hearing your inputs over the coming months.

Following on our policy commitment to complete a comprehensive statutes review, the FIA Statutes Review Commission (SRC) is now in place and has begun its work aimed at enhancing transparency, democracy and efficiency within the organisation. It is in the process of preparing recommendations for consideration by the FIA membership and approval by the General Assembly.

A first meeting was held to review the FIA's internal operations and governance structure, including a discussion of the roles of the Senate, Committee, Vice-Presidents, and judicial system, with a view to enhancing efficiency and responsiveness to members' needs.

Changes to the FIA's internal structure are underway, organised according to the new structure of three departments - Mobility, Motor Sport and Support Services - designed to facilitate strategic planning and allow for synergies to develop between the FIA's mobility and motor sport sides.

These are just the start of our constructive changes, and a proposed action list will now be developed for consideration and approval by the SRC at its next meeting to be held in Bahrain on 12 March. The list will include topics to be discussed by the SRC and a decision-making timetable for FIA General Assemblies over the next four years. A special consultative meeting of the SRC is also scheduled to take place during Conference Week at Lake Como, Italy, on 17 to 21 May.

Bahrain will also be the location for the next meeting of the Senate and the World Motor Sport Council, where a number of important decisions will be taken for the benefit of our many sporting championships. This will include an examination of the work of Commissions and Working Groups including the newly proposed Environment Working Group and the restructured Manufacturers' Commission.

Nominations for nine representatives from across motor sport to sit on the first-ever FIA Women and Motor Sport Commission will be put forward to the World Council for approval. Headed by former World Rally star driver Michèle Mouton, the Commission aims to engage the full participation of women in every aspect of motor sport.

I recently returned from a tour of Asia where I visited FIA clubs in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, and had the chance to discuss important mobility and motor sport issues with club representatives and government officials. In Indonesia, I had the pleasure of attending the Ikatan Motor Indonesia annual awards for Indonesian licence holders.

As part of getting to know you all and in order to better understanding your organisation's needs, I plan to visit as many clubs as possible during my tenure as President. I look forward to sharing with you in more detail our vision for the FIA and its membership and hearing your feedback and ideas. As I will be attending the World Motor Sport Council in Bahrain next week, I will take the opportunity to visit some of our members in the Middle East.

There is much work ahead and we will continue to seek your support and input over the coming months. I welcome your comments and suggestions you may have for the programme of constructive change we are implementing.

Jean Todt,
FIA President

Nick Craw,
FIA President of the
Senate

Brian Gibbons,
FIA Deputy President
Mobility

Graham Stoker,
FIA Deputy President
Sport