The UNRSF and GRSF Announce Partnership to Improve Road Safety Delivery in World Bank Funded Projects in Tanzania
The Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), hosted by the World Bank, and the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) will jointly support a comprehensive evaluation of the first global deployment of the Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure in Tanzania, with a focus on active World Bank-funded projects.
The initiative aims to reduce road traffic deaths and serious injuries by improving road safety engineering, generating knowledge and boosting the capacity of key stakeholders. The project will also use applied research to recommend enhancements to the Ten Steps approach, and potential applications for existing and future development activities by the World Bank, other MDBs and bilateral agencies.
Tanzania will be the first country to use the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) Ten Steps approach – a comprehensive solution that aims to build institutional capacity and regulatory framework to support UN Targets 3 and 4 in relation to Safer Road Infrastructure. The approach includes specific objectives to deliver systematic improvements to national road safety policies, national road design standards, and training and accreditation at the national level. Additionally, with the implementation of the Ten Steps approach, the initiative will work to embed road safety skills as part of the Regional Centre of Excellence for Road Safety being created with support from the African Development Bank.
The jointly-funded initiative by the GRSF and the UNRSF will work closely with the World Bank and the Government of Tanzania through TANROADS and TARURA, as well as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), International Road Federation (IRF), World Road Association (PIARC), International Road Assessment Program (iRAP), research institutions, NGOs and industry stakeholders. The initiative will support the broad sharing of information to ensure that the benefits of the Ten Step Plan evaluation are effectively communicated, and successes inform future activities.
Evidence-based knowledge to address the road safety crisis
GRSF funding for the Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure in Tanzania initiative comes from the Road Safety Grant Program, a vital part of the Facility’s mission. It supports road safety research and initiatives at the global, regional and country levels by distributing donor funding externally to global partners as well as internally leveraging road safety impacts through World Bank transport investment projects. This is possible thanks to the financial support of our UK Aid donors – Department for International Development and Department of Health and Social Care.
UNRSF financing embraces the safe system approach as captured in its Global Framework Plan of Action for Road Safety. Within this overall framework, the Fund invests in projects that identify missing or weak elements in the national road safety systems as well as at formulation of data, plans and policies, legislation and new institutional arrangements as well as other educational or technological solutions needed to establish and maintain sound national road safety systems.
The robust research-based evaluation of the Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure project at a corridor level, will inform refinements for the future and provide confidence for upcoming deployments by the UN, World Bank, MDB and bi-lateral donors for both national and project-level direct impact.
This program of funding strengthens the ongoing partnership between UNRSF, iRAP, IRF and GRSF, as contributors and implementing partners.
Dr. Soames Job, Head of the GRSF, said: “We are pleased to be jointly funding this valuable road safety delivery initiative for Tanzania. This joint undertaking is an important step for saving lives and preventing debilitating injuries in Tanzania, and a vital part of the close collaboration of the World Bank and GRSF with iRAP, IRF, PIARC, UNRSC, and UNRSF. It is critical that these leading global organizations work together to save lives and avoid injuries on the world’s roads.”
Romain Hubert, Acting Head of the UNRSF secretariat elaborated, “2020 needs to usher in a decade of ambitious action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and for this, synergizing efforts in road safety has never been more important. By jointly financing this promising project, the UNRSF and GRSF are leveraging our limited resources to maximize results and impact. I am confident that this is the first of a series of meaningful collaborations that we will undertake.”