Every year 1.16 million people die due to road crashes, and over 50 million are injured. The UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) is the United Nations' dedicated fund for road safety, enabling nations, corporations, and individuals to support the UN and its partners' efforts in strengthening road safety programmes worldwide.
Operating as a UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund, the UNRSF brings together more than 20 partners — UN entities, governments, civil society, and the private sector — to finance road safety projects at the national and regional level. Eligible UN and non-UN organizations apply for funding, with every proposal rigorously reviewed and scored on solution quality, expected impact, sustainability, and investment logic.
Our mandate
The UNRSF was launched by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, to respond to the global burden of road traffic crashes.
The UNRSF's vision is to build a world where roads are safe for every road user, everywhere.
Strategy 2026–2030
- Implementation of the Safe System approach in policies and plans — funding technical assistance to strengthen legislation, regulations, and government-wide data and monitoring systems aligned with UN road safety standards.
- Targeted advocacy and high-level engagement for sustainable financing — supporting advocacy and education aimed at parliamentarians, ministers, and senior decision-makers to increase road safety budgets and other sustainable financing.
- Embedding road safety within broader SDG initiatives — integrating road safety into national transport, mobility, urban planning, and climate action agendas, in synergy with the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport.
Funding Model
UNRSF opens Calls for Proposals annually (most recently in 2025, 2024, and 2023). Each Call sets out the thematic priorities, eligibility requirements, application process, evaluation criteria and required documentation. Recent Calls have focused on priority road safety challenges such as motorcycle safety, road crash data systems and regional or multi-country action.
UNRSF grants are catalytic. They are intended to support innovative and scalable road safety solutions, strengthen national systems and mobilize additional investment. UNRSF funding is not intended to cover the full cost of a project or provide general/core funding to organizations.