Following a successful pilot, iRAP has launched a Partner Portal to share global and national road safety data and resources, and empower and connect leads of Road Assessment Programmes (RAPs) across the world.

The iRAP Partner Portal is a restricted access online resource containing information on news, knowledge, training, projects and metrics of success for each country, along with key road safety statistics. The Portal enables partners to connect in a Forum and contribute information to develop their own national profiles for the mutual benefit of all.

The Portal, and underlying Partner Management System iRAP Connect, are the result of the 5-Star Global Connections Initiative funded by FedEx.

The initiative includes multiple phases:

• Development of iRAP Connect, a global Partner Management System to store and track programme and partner success across nearly 200 countries and 22,000 partners.
• Development of a 5-Star Global Connections Strategy that utilises the system and its data wisdoms to connect people and resources for high impact local RAPs, and piloting of the strategy in India.
• Development of a Celebrating Success Package that supports RAP programmes in India and the world to implement the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and achieve the UN Global Targets for 3-star and better roads.

iRAP Global Programme and Communications Manager Judy Williams said, “iRAP Connect and the Partner Portal have transformed our ability as a charity to support our partners eliminating high-risk roads in countries and track their activities and success.

“Road safety programmes and infrastructure upgrades can take many years to come to fruition and involve many partners working alone and in collaboration. Being able to identify, connect and share this knowledge has the potential to supercharge RAP partnerships and safer roads outcomes and, most importantly, save lives,” she said.

“For the first time, the Portal is able to share more than 20 years of gathered knowledge, enabling our RAP community to transcend organisational and geographic boundaries and resource limitations, learn from the best and collaborate for success.

“lt is a free and searchable online repository that every country can use to manage and protect their national information, whilst sharing it for the mutual benefit of all,” Ms Williams said.

iRAP Connect and the Partner Portal have been made possible thanks to the generous financial support of FedEx and FIA Foundation, and technical support of digital transformation agency NTT Ltd and volunteers Nick Davey and Rob Lupton.

Lisa Menuskin, Manager, FedEx Global Citizenship, said, “We’ve been working with iRAP for several years and we have seen how effective they are at replicating successful road safety programmes around the world. This is true of other initiatives we have funded including IndiaRAP and-Star Rating for Schools. This new Portal will serve to strengthen their global network and will accelerate their achievements in reducing road traffic deaths and injuries.”

The Portal is another way iRAP is supporting partners and governments as they draw on the Global Plan to develop and implement national and local action plans to halve global road deaths and injuries by 2030.

“iRAP Connect and the Partner Portal will be crucial to leveraging our charity’s resources and empowering “Partnerships for 2030 Impact” in our vision is for a world free of high-risk roads,” Ms Williams said.

“We are so grateful to FedEx and our Portal partners for this system and the enhanced results it will make possible at the roadside in communities.”

NTT has profiled iRAP Connect in their suite of ‘Technology for Good’ case studies alongside global innovations to unlock the mysteries of the universe, deliver rapid COVID response and track illegal poaching in Africa… to name just a few!

For information on the iRAP Partner Portal, contact judy.williams@irap.org