The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
UNOPS and iRAP announce partnership to support global road safety
The new partnership will support efforts to improve the safety of road infrastructure and enhance access to safe, affordable and accessible transport systems for all.
Every year, around 1.23 million people are killed and nearly 50 million are injured on roadways around the world. According to the World Health Organization, there is no greater threat to the lives of people between 5 to 29 years old.
Under the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, the UN has called for accelerated action towards reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries – setting an ambitious target of preventing at least 50 per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
As part of the Road Safety Initiative, UNOPS and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) have announced a new collaboration agreement, launched this week in Manila, the Philippines in the presence of the UN Special Envoy on Road Safety and former President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Jean Todt.
Safer road infrastructure will save lives and reduce the suffering caused by serious injuries. UNOPS has valuable expertise to help governments to increase road safety and this partnership with iRAP will enhance knowledge sharing and enable cooperation towards common road safety goals.
The partnership will enable UNOPS and iRAP to work together to help improve global road safety through a range of outreach, advocacy and capacity-building activities, as well as sharing and transfer of knowledge and technical assistance on projects and project implementation, among others.
“Eliminating high-risk roads is critical to saving lives, particularly vulnerable road users, and reducing the vast economic and social burden on families impacted by road crashes,” said iRAP Global Programme Director Greg Smith.
“[...] Through this partnership, we have an opportunity to maximize the life-saving impact of safe road infrastructure in projects around the world, supporting the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.
The partnership also aims to expand the capacity of both organizations, to support countries’ efforts to work towards more comprehensive and robust approaches to road safety management and implementation. This includes implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Road Safety and supporting progress towards Global Road Safety Performance Targets.
“UNOPS is ready to get to work on this vital initiative and we are confident that our partnership with iRAP will, quite literally, build the roads to a better future,” said Steven Crosskey.
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