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Annual Report

GRSF 2019 Annual Report

Overview

GRSF 2019 Annual Report

2018/19 has been an impressively successful year of evolution, growth, and delivery for the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), based on funding and support by the World Bank, on funding from our major donors (UK Aid: DFID and DHSC, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and CITA), and on additional funding support from QII and GRSP.

Three years ago, GRSF had a five-person team (four staff and one consultant). With expanded donor support, we have grown rapidly to a team of 12 (10 staff and 2 consultants, as listed in the next page) – a team which I am immensely proud to head. Our Technical Advisory Panel has grown, as required by the increase in grant proposals to be assessed. The new UK Aid funded Multi-Donor Trust Fund, established in October 2018, was immediately operational for continuation of the GRSF Grant Program.

The Grant Program FY19 call for proposals resulted in the receipt of a record 51 applications for a record $14.5 million. Following the competitive evaluation process involving the experts of the GRSF Technical Advisory Panel, we distributed more funding for road safety grants than ever before. We have grown in breadth and depth of influence globally and within the World Bank. Working effectively to influence Bank projects has delivered increased dividends, not only in projects in which we have been directly involved as advisors and reviewers, but also through the GRSF grants, which influence other projects, and through the Bloomberg Philanthropies program, which identified and captured synergies between this program and Bank projects, thus guiding and improving road safety delivery in 20 World Bank projects.

We have evolved in program, process, and strategic approach, based on targeting judiciously selected areas of value for road safety impact and on taking on time-sensitive opportunities. Our influence with regard to road safety within World Bank projects has evolved to be more systematic through the Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework, which went into effect in October 2018, including road safety requirements. We have written a Good Practice Note for this safeguard and provided training for the road safety component of the safeguard.

We have led Transport Global Practice policy reformulation to ensure a focus on road safety, including a requirement that all road and urban mobility projects use the RSSAT (Road Safety Screening and Appraisal Tool), which we developed in partnership with other Bank staff. We have agreed upon minimum road safety requirements for urban mobility projects, with thanks to the urban mobility team for this collaboration. Our role in vehicle safety has expanded and evolved in partnership with CITA, including AVIS (Assessment of Vehicle Inspection Systems) processes. This year we also initiated the new ambitious GRSF research program agreed upon with UK Aid donors. This includes the bold aim of providing regional (continent-wide) road safety observatories covering the major regions where road safety presents challenges.

We have delivered significant projects, most often in strong partnership with the World Bank and other organizations. The Africa Road Safety Observatory was launched in June 2019 in South Africa with 40 countries participating; the first workshop of the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory in Singapore was well received, heralding portents for another successful Observatory; profound influence on World Bank projects not only continues but has become more systematic and sustainable; and other MDBs are developing road safety safeguards modeled on the World Bank’s wording. As a result, our global influence and reputation are increasing. We are heavily engaged in the planning for the 3rd Road Safety Ministerial Conference to be held in Stockholm in February 2020; we receive many invitations to deliver keynote addresses, deliver many systematic training programs, and host many events; and we prepare reports and publish journal papers (see the impressive list in Appendix V).

I am honored to be part of the GRSF team, am indebted to our donors and funders, and am most pleased to present the work of my skilled, dedicated, and energized GRSF colleagues during 2019.

Dr. Soames Job 
Head of GRSF, and Global Lead for Road Safety, World Bank

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Annual Report Details

GRSF 2019 Annual Report

Pages:54
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82% of Road Crash Fatalities and Injuries in the economically productive age groups (15 - 64 years.)

82% of Road Crash Fatalities and Injuries in the economically productive age groups (15 - 64 years.)