Emma MacLennan
United Kingdom

Emma established the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) in 2009. EASST is a UK-registered charity working in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia to facilitate cross-border projects on road safety and sustainable transport.  EASST works with local partner organisations, making their efforts more effective by sharing know-how and resources across borders. This enables countries facing similar challenges to learn from each other how to reduce road casualties and overcome common obstacles.

Key Projects

2021: Project Expert and Trainer, ‘Azerbaijan – Road Safety Engineering Training Baku,’ EBRD. Delivering training to local road engineers, professors, postgraduate students and other professionals on road safety engineering; exploring with Baku Technical Universities gaps in their current curriculum.

2021: Project Supervisor, ‘Updating and Publishing Road Design Standards in Tajikistan,’ EBRD. Supporting the Ministry of Transport to revise and update existing road design standards focussing in particular on pedestrian safety, road signs and signals, roadside hazards and speed management.

2021 – 2022: Project Supervisor, ‘Advancing 30km/h School Speed Zones in Eastern Europe & Central Asia,’ FIA Foundation. Working with countries to achieve policy commitments where possible to reducing speeds around school zones; improving road safety engineering around pilot schools; improving enforcement of speeds in school zones; buiding parent coalitions and increasing public demand for school zone safety.

2020 – 2021: Project Supervisor, ‘Regional – Post-Crash Emergency Response Assessment and Research Study’ EBRD C44362/12111/74611. The assignment will assess post-crash response capacity in Lebanon, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Egypt, will carry out training and provide a toolkit for future improvements.

2020 – 2021: Regional: Safe Villages Along the Obigarm-Nurobod Road in Tajikistan EBRD C44122/_C44123/_C44438. The project will conduct road safety training in villages along the Obigarm-Nurobod Road, carry out a transport needs assessment focussing on women and young people, and make recommendations for enabling women’s economic development.

2020 – 2021: Project Supervisor, ‘Belarus: Road Engineering University Training on Road Safety’ EBRD C43986/87/47662. The project is to develop a training module on good road safety engineering design principles and deliver training to University Professors, post-grad students and others in Belarus.

2019 – 2020: Project Supervisor, ‘Regional: The Development of a Road Safety Engineering E-learning Package’ EBRD C42960/9580/56108. The project is developing a free on-line course on road safety, road safety engineering, roadside hazard management, and other key subjects to encourage knowledge transfer to technical staff engaged in Bank projects, and as a free international resource.

2019: Project Supervisor, ‘Georgia: Safe Fleets and Waste Management,’ EBRD C42426/87/4762. This assignment is providing specialist training in occupational road safety management for public and private fleets and EBRD clients, with specific modules training Waste Services managers.

2019 – 2020: Project Manager, ‘Armenia: Safer Cities – Roads and Pedestrian Safety Support for the City of Gyumri,’ EBRD C41796/11224/68933. The project is delivering road safety engineering training to the city, and carrying out pedestrian and child road safety awareness raising.

2018 – 2019: Project Manager, ‘Tajikistan: Road Safety Framework – Project Management Assistance to Support Pedestrian Crossings Donations,’ EBRD C38613/87/47662. The assignment enabled engineering design and supervision for a new, pedestrian friendly and accessible signalised road crossing to be installed in front of Istiqlol National Hospital in Dushanbe, a donation to the City of Dushanbe facilitated by EASST with the assistance of local partners.

2017 – 2018: Director/Project Manager, ‘Pedestrian Safety in Bishkek’s Smart City Concept,’ Financed by UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office on behalf of the University of Central Asia, focussing on reducing pedestrian casualties, improving data and making recommendations for road engineering.

2017 – 2018: Project Manager: ‘Tajikistan: Extension: Road Safety Framework – Working with Civil Society for Safe and Sustainable Roads in Tajikistan,’ EBRD C35974/87/32030. Inception report and media campaign on Seat Belt Wearing and Eco-Driving in Dushanbe.

2016-2017: Project Manager: ‘Tajikistan: Road Safety Awareness Campaign,’ EBRD C34779/87/32030. Carrying out pedestrian safety assessment along M41 Somoni Avenue; Road Safety Awareness Engagement with local stakeholders.

2016: Project Supervisor: ‘Kazakhstan – South West Corridor Road Project, Road Safety Capacity Building’ EBRD C3414/87/28179 & C34315/87/85. Responsible for Task 1 (completed), carrying out a Safe Villages Campaign.

2013 – 2016: Project Expert: ‘Implementation of regional road safety action plan for Neighbourhood East and Central Asian Countries – TRACECA Road Safety II’

ENPI. TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia) working in 10  countries along the ‘silk road’ corridor from Europe to Central Asia. The aim was to help build both government and civil society stakeholder capacity in road safety, promote long-term and sustainable partnership and knowledge sharing, and increase collaboration and cooperation within the region.

2015: Project Lead, ‘Georgia: Road Safety Awareness Campaign Shuakhevi and Khulo,’ EBRD.

The key objective of the project was to reduce road safety risks to road users and pedestrians on public roads in the surrounding Shuakhevi and Khulo communities by promoting safer road user behaviour and raising awareness of risks. The assignment required the identification and engagement of relevant groups most affected by road safety risks, and identification of additional sustainable measures that may be implemented to reduce the risk to local road users.

2015: Project Supervisor, establishment of ‘FIRE AID’ supported by DfID

FIRE AID is a new organisation of UK fire & rescue services and humanitarian aid organisations working to improve road crash response capacity in low and middle income countries including in the CIS region. FIRE AID received initial sponsorship from the UK Department for International Development as part of their CHASE (Conflict, Humanitarian and Security) Programme in the form of an Accountable Grant.

2013- 2014: Project Supervisor, ‘Azerbaijan: Scoping a Road Safety Campaign in Azerbaijan,’ EBRD.

The “Safe Villages and Road Safety Awareness” project in Azerbaijan aimed to address the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the R42 (Bahramtapa-Bilesuvar) and R18 (Mingachevir-Bahramtapa) road rehabilitation projects, improve road safety and reduce speeds among drivers using these routes. The key objective was to raise public awareness about road safety in target villages along the R42 and R18 regional roads.

2013 – 2014: Project Supervisor, ‘Capacity Building for CSOs to Promote Road Safety,’ EBRD.

This project complements and raises awareness among CSOs in affected communities of the existing Road Rehabilitation Project IV. 5 local training workshops for CSOs were carried out in 4 town/village locations and in Chisinau to enhance local communication skills about road issues and develop capacity for road safety advocacy.

2013 – 2014: Project Supervisor, EBRD ‘Safe Villages Ukraine’

Promoting road safety awareness, particularly on visibility and pedestrian safety, and working with State Road Police to reduce speeds. On-going, but results already in reduced speeds near vulnerable villages.

2013: Project Manager, ‘Moldova: Road Safety Study Tour for Public Service Operators and Other Business Road Users,’ EBRD.

This provided in-depth follow-up training in the UK for members of the Moldovan Working Party on Occupational Road Safety.

2012 – 2013: Expert Advisor, UNDP Project on Confidence Building in Moldova carried out by the Automobile Club of Moldova.

The project provides training and mentoring to the municipalities of Chisinau and Tiraspol (Transnistria) on the establishment of local ‘Casualty Reduction Partnerships.’ The project will report end-July, but is already considered a showpiece project by the UNDP in Moldova and for the region.

2013: Advisor on EBRD funded project carried out by IMC Worldwide on “Improving Road Safety in Moldova.”

Assistance in drafting recommendations for capacity building in State Road Administration and Civil Society.

2012 – 2013: Project Manager, EBRD ‘Moldova Road Safety Workshop’ on occupational road safety.

This has led to the establishment of a permanent Working Party on ‘Driving Business Safely’ in Moldova with members from public and private vehicle fleets.

2010: Project Manager, World Bank Country Project in Moldova – ‘Road Safety Enforcement and Traffic Policing in Moldova’

This has led to sweeping reforms of road policing in the Republic of Moldova and reductions in reported corruption (report published by EASST December 2010).

Other Roles

Deputy Chair, FIRE AID

Emma is Deputy Chair of FIRE AID, a UK non-profit organisation boosting fire and rescue capacity in countries facing the greatest challenges globally (www.fire-aid.org).

Member of the Board and Lecturer, Delft University/FIA Foundation Global Road Safety Scholarship Programme (2008-Present)

The Delft/FIA Foundation Road Safety Scholarship Programme brings young leaders in road safety from around the globe to Delft University for an intensive, two-week training course in road safety principles and practice. The course includes the Systems Approach to road safety, training in policy development and evaluation, and an introduction to each of the 5 Pillars of the UN Decade of Action.

Advisor, UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Moldova (2004-Present)

Emma assists the group in organising meetings, inviting speakers and arranging briefings with political and civil society leaders in Moldova and the Eastern Partnership Countries of the EU – for example with visiting government ministers and heads of state; and with UK Government ministers and EU Commissioner, Stefan Fule.

Our People

• Emma Maclennan (UK)
• Serghei Diaconu (Moldova)
• Dmitry Sambuk (UK) 
• Poghos Shahinyan (Armenia)
• Vafa Huseyinli (Azerbaijan)
• Vusal Rajabli  (Azerbaijan)
• Irakli Izoria (Georgia)
• Gela Kvashilava (Georgia)
• Lika Merabishvili (Georgia)
• Yana Tumakova
• Evangelos Bellos (Greece)
• Ali Zayerzadeh (Iran)
• Roman Barabanov (Kazakhstan)
• Chinara Kasmambetova (Kyrgyz)
• Virginia Mandalac (Moldova)
• Tatiana Mihailova (Moldova)
• Uurtsaikh Sangi (Mongolia)
• Tolga Imamoglu (Turkey)
• Naimjon Mirzorakhimov (Tajikistan
• Alaster Barlow (UK)
• Emily Carr (UK)
• Claire Hoyland (UK)
• Corrine Vibert (UK)
• Paul Disney (UK)
• Oksana Romanukha (Ukraine)