Geneva, 19 May 2025, The United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) convened the tenth session of its Advisory Board today at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, bringing renewed attention to the urgent need for stronger global action and sustained financing to reduce road deaths by 2030.
The session opened with remarks by Ms. Nneka Henry, Head of the UNRSF Secretariat, who welcomed several new members to the Advisory Board, including H.E. Mr. Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister of Transport and Logistics of the Kingdom of Morocco, who assumed the role of Chair; as well as Ministers from Slovenia, Brunei Darussalam, and Chile. New members also include the Inter-Ministerial Delegate on Road Safety in France, as well as the newly appointed Head of UNITAR.
In his remarks, the Chair, Minister Kayouh, reaffirmed Morocco’s leadership on road safety following the 4th Global Ministerial Conference held in Marrakesh earlier this year. “The Marrakesh Declaration calls on all of us to make road safety a political priority, ensure sustainable funding, and take strong action to reduce road deaths by 2030,” he said. “Morocco is proud to support the UN Road Safety Fund, which plays a vital role in turning commitments into life-saving action.”
UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr. Jean Todt, underscored the urgency of the road safety crisis, noting that 1.2 million lives are lost on the roads every year, with 50 million more injured. “We know what needs to be done, but we are still not doing enough,” he said. “The UN Road Safety Fund has shown its potential, but its impact depends on all of us. Generating funding for the Fund must become a daily priority, not a once-a-year effort, if we want to leave a lasting legacy and truly make a difference.”
The Advisory Board reviewed the Fund’s 2024 Annual Report, which highlights impact across nearly 100 countries since the Fund’s operational launch in 2019. Members also received updates on the Fund’s financial performance and resource mobilization outlook, the independent evaluation currently underway, and plans for the 2025 Call for Proposals.
This session comes just ahead of a UNRSF’s high-level media event at the International Transport Forum (ITF) in Leipzig on Thursday, 22 May, where the Fund will amplify its call for increased global investment in road safety. The event will also highlight a joint op-ed by Advisory Board members, “The Silent Pandemic on Wheels: Why Governments Must Fund Road Safety Now.”