The meeting was the starting point of a collaborative effort to address road crash data and road safety activities across the Asian and Pacific region. The objective was to demonstrate:

• the economic, social and financial costs of road crashes and the importance to put them in perspective with other public policy issues;
• outline the concept of a Road Safety Observatory (RSO);
• field inputs from participating countries on their needs and expectations relating to road crash and road safety data collection, data reporting, data analysis, and actions to address road safety;
• shape the way towards the establishment of an RSO;
• foster the development of a synergistic environment to empower countries in individual and collective action to address the road safety epidemic in the region; and
• demonstrate the mutual benefits of an RSO to the members and to the region.

The countries present included: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.