From Pledges to Progress: How the World Bank Group is Advancing Road Safety Financing and Governance After the Marrakech Ministerial

Each year, 1.19 million lives are lost on the roads, with millions more injured. This persistent and preventable crisis disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, which account for 92% of the fatalities despite having just over 60% of the world’s vehicles. As the world reaches the midpoint of the second UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030), urgent action is needed to reach the global goal of halving road fatalities by 2030.

The 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, held in Marrakech, Morocco (Feb 18-20, 2025), marked a pivotal moment for global road safety efforts. The conference—the largest-ever gathering of road safety stakeholders—brought together over 5,000 participants and more than 100 government ministers to take stock of progress and set a path forward to reach the 2030 target, outlined in the Marrakech Declaration.

At the center of many discussions was the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), a multi-donor trust fund that supports efforts in low and middle-income countries to halve their road traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Established in 2006, GRSF has played a leading role in mobilizing resources, strengthening governance, and advancing innovative solutions to improve road safety globally.

During the Ministerial conference, UK Minister for the Future of Roads Lilian Greenwood described the transformative work of GRSF:

In addition to the United Kingdom, GRSF is also supported Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Initiative for Global Road Safety, and the TotalEnergies Foundation.

GRSF’s impact was recently recognized with a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2024, which honors organizations making outstanding contributions to road safety worldwide. In Marrakech, GRSF emphasized road safety financing, governance, and institutions as key elements necessary to achieve SDG targets in road safety.

Advancing Road Safety Financing

One of the most pressing challenges in road safety today is bridging the $400 billion funding gap, which is the estimated amount needed to meet the sustainable development goal of halving road traffic fatalities and injuries. While many governments are increasing funding, national budgets alone cannot meet the scale of investment required.

GRSF’s leadership in this area was evident at the meeting of the Multilateral Development Banks’ (MDBs’) Road Safety Working Group, held during the Marrakech conference. As the secretariat for the group, GRSF coordinates joint MDB efforts to scale up financing and harmonize road safety approaches. Partners announced at the event that MDBs have collectively committed over $6 billion in road safety investments in low- and middle-income countries between 2018 and 2024, and project this financing to increase to $10 billion over the next decade.

While development financing from the World Bank and other MDBs has been instrumental in supporting road safety projects, new and innovative funding sources are needed to close the gap. To offer a pathway forward, GRSF and the World Bank Treasury launched a new report at the Ministerial, Financing Road Safety: Catalyzing the Sustainable Finance Market to Bridge the Gap, which benefited from inputs by the MDBs’ Road Safety Working Group members and the International Transport Forum.

The new report provides governments with practical guidance on leveraging sustainable finance instruments to attract private capital for road safety initiatives. Green, social, and sustainability-linked bonds and loans have surpassed $1 trillion in annual issuances, demonstrating strong investor demand for projects aligned with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities. By positioning road safety within this framework, countries can unlock new financial flows for life-saving road safety interventions.

“Sustainable financing is the key to unlocking the future of road safety,” said Guangzhe Chen, the World Bank’s Vice President for Infrastructure, in a keynote speech during the conference. “Through our partnerships with multilateral development banks, the World Bank is driving innovative funding solutions that will bridge the road safety financing gap, ensuring safe roads for all, especially in low- and middle-income countries.”

Strengthening Road Safety Governance and Institutions

The conference also emphasized the importance of strengthening road safety governance and institutional management structures to ensure road safety investments lead to measurable and lasting results. To support governments in this effort, GRSF launched the third edition of the Strengthening Road Safety Management guidelines, providing a step-by-step framework to help countries improve their road safety management system and strengthen its institutional functions.

GRSF is also advancing knowledge and capacity-building efforts to strengthen road safety management at the national level. The recently launched Road Safety Calculator, for example, is an innovative tool that helps policymakers assess the potential benefits of different interventions, allowing for data-driven decision-making. Additionally, the World Bank is preparing to launch a new road safety knowledge program, which will facilitate expert-led discussions and peer to peer knowledge exchanges for senior-level government officials to develop stronger institutional leadership in road safety.

Turning Momentum into Action

The Marrakech Ministerial conference set the stage for a new phase in global road safety efforts, but the real test will be translating commitments into concrete action. With continued partner support, GRSF and the World Bank stand ready to ensure that the momentum generated at the Marrakech Ministerial translates into meaningful progress in reducing road deaths and injuries in communities across the world.