ReCAP: A Vital Resource for Rural Roads Knowledge and Innovation
At the heart of the International Road Federation (IRF) mission to “Connect to Empower Mobility” lies the ReCAP (Research for Community Access Partnership) initiative—a dynamic platform designed to transform rural connectivity worldwide. Hosted at www.research4cap.org, ReCAP serves as a comprehensive knowledge hub, offering industry experts, policymakers, and stakeholders the tools and insights needed to drive innovation and sustainability in rural roads and transport.
What is ReCAP?
Funded by the UK Government, ReCAP is a globally recognised initiative focused on generating and disseminating research, tools, and best practices for rural road infrastructure. The programme - which ran from 2014 to 2020 – has addressed the unique challenges of rural transport, including accessibility, sustainability, and resilience, while promoting innovative solutions that empower communities and drive economic growth.
What Resources Does ReCAP Offer?
The ReCAP website is a treasure trove of resources designed to support the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of rural road networks. Key offerings include:
- Research Papers and Reports: In-depth studies on topics such as low-cost engineering, climate resilience, and community-led road maintenance.
- Technical Guides and Toolkits: Practical resources to help implement best practices in rural road development.
- Case Studies: Real-world examples of successful rural road projects from around the globe.
- Policy Briefs: Insights and recommendations to inform decision-making and policy development.
Why ReCAP Matters
Rural roads are the arteries of connectivity, linking remote communities to opportunities, services, and markets. They are vital to achieving sustainable development goals, fostering economic opportunities, and improving quality of life for millions of people. However, the complexity of rural road projects demands evidence-based approaches and collaborative efforts.
ReCAP bridges this gap by providing accessible, high-quality resources that empower stakeholders to tackle challenges and deliver impactful solutions. Whether you’re a practitioner, researcher, or policymaker, ReCAP equips you with the knowledge and tools needed to make a difference.
Discover how this invaluable resource can support your work and contribute to the global effort to build safer, more sustainable rural road networks. Together, we can connect communities and empower mobility, one road at a time.
Gearing up for the ITF Summit 2025
Under the leadership of its Secretary General, Dr Young Tae Kim, the International Transport Forum (ITF) hosted in Paris on 27 and 28 January the annual consultation with international stakeholders. The International Road Federation (IRF) – who has recently reinforced its collaboration with ITF – was represented by Susanna Zammataro, IRF Director General.
Focused on the core theme of upcoming ITF 2025 Summit “Transport Resilience to Global Shocks”, the Consultation provided a platform for the ITF and international organisations to exchange their priority areas, while enhancing cooperation and dialogue.
Since 2007, the ITF Annual Consultation with International Organisations has been instrumental in fostering discussions and collaboration among the ITF and its partner organisations spanning the transport sector and beyond. Each year more than 60 organisations join the discussions, both in-person in Paris and virtually.
Since 2016, the meetings have also included an Annual Consultation on Gender and Transport, with the aim to gather focused input from ITF stakeholders regarding the integration of gender considerations into the Summit programme, as well as other aspects of ITF work.
This year Annual Consultation with International Organisations –open only to international organisations – offered a platform to discuss also ideas for the 2026 Summit “Transport Resilience: Funding a Just and Green Transition”. Both 2025 and 2026 Summits are part of the 2025-2027 Summit Trilogy theme on Transport Resilience.
Reflecting ITF’s emphasis on sustainable transport, particularly in light of the upcoming UN Decade on Sustainable Transport, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA),
presented their plans and initiatives in this critical area.
More information on the 2025 Summit programme and its organisational aspects is available here:
IRF Highlights Road Design and Cultural Challenges in Traffic Safety at the 10th GIFTS Forum in Tokyo
The International Road Federation (IRF) was honoured to take part in the 10th Global Interactive Forum on Traffic and Safety (GIFTS) 2024, held on 7 December 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. Organised by the International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences (IATSS), the event revolved around the theme “Creating a Traffic Culture for a Safer Society” and brought together global experts to discuss building safer, more sustainable traffic systems.
IRF’s Director General, Susanna Zammataro, contributed to the panel discussion “International Perspectives on Traffic Safety Culture”, where she explored the role of enforcement, education, and cultural attitudes in shaping road safety. Drawing from experiences in Italy, she highlighted how inconsistent law enforcement and lenient attitudes towards minor traffic violations can undermine safety efforts. In some regions, the perception of traffic rules as “flexible” allows behaviours such as speeding, running yellow lights, or failing to use indicators to persist.
Mrs. Zammataro also emphasised the need for more impactful and sustained road safety education, particularly for young and new drivers. While traffic safety is part of school curricula, she noted that stronger awareness campaigns are necessary to address risky behaviours such as speeding, drink-driving, mobile phone use, and the lack of seatbelt compliance. These cultural shifts, she argued, are critical to achieving meaningful improvements in global traffic safety.
The Forum underscored the importance of international collaboration in addressing these challenges, a priority that aligns closely with the IRF's mission. Building on its commitment to fostering dialogue, promoting education, and advocating for enforcement and cultural change, the IRF continues to lead efforts to create safer roads and more resilient communities worldwide.
Enhancing Innovation in the Road Sector: ITF Global Mobility Forum in Seoul
The International Road Federation (IRF) was proud to contribute to a highly successful edition of the ITF Global Mobility Forum, held on 12-13 December 2024, in Seoul, Republic of Korea (South Korea). Organised by the International Transport Forum (ITF) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea (MOLIT) and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (KOTSA), the event brought together global leaders and experts from both within and outside the transport sector to explore innovation.
On the first day of the conference, IRF’s Director General, Susanna Zammataro, participated in the panel session “When Innovation Meets the Road.” She highlighted key issues such as regional collaboration, equity in mobility, and the pursuit of sustainable development goals. Reflecting on IRF's role in promoting sustainable road networks, Mrs. Zammataro discussed the transformative potential of electrification and advanced air mobility (AAM) in shaping the planning and sustainability of global road infrastructures.
She also examined the major challenges in fostering international collaboration for mobility innovation, particularly in less developed regions. As the adoption of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and autonomous technologies accelerates, Susanna emphasised the need to ensure that road safety standards keep pace with these innovations.
The Forum explored how public authorities can foster emerging technological and governance-related innovations. Key discussions focused on how public authorities conduct innovation scans, target specific innovation areas and initiatives, and implement mechanisms to actively promote innovation where it is most needed.
The IRF looks forward to continuing these important conversations at the ITF 2025 Summit, which will take place from 21-23 May 2025, in Leipzig, Germany.
World Day of Remembrance (WDoR) for Road Traffic Victims
On Sunday, 15 November, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the World Day dedicated to remembering road traffic victims and being observed internationally.
Established by the United Nations and celebrated every third Sunday in November, WDoR is a major advocacy day for road traffic injury prevention.
Numerous commemorative events had taken place across the globe and activities were relayed on social media under the theme REMEMBER – SUPPORT – ACT:
- Remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads;
- Acknowledge the crucial work of the emergency services;
- Draw attention to the generally trivial legal response to culpable road deaths and injuries
- Advocate for better support for road traffic victims and victim families;
- Promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries.
IRF India expresses concern at increased number of fatal road Accidents in the country
The year 2019 has seen an increased number of road accident deaths in the state of Gujarat, in India, which recorded Thirteenth highest number of road deaths in the country.
As per latest National Road Accident data released by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for the year 2019, road accidents killed over 151,000 people in 2019 crashes. The number of crashes left 451,000 injured in the country.
"India accounts for about 12% of the global road accident fatalities. Several initiatives for improving road safety such as the amendment of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA), improvement in roads from the engineering perspective, road safety audits at all stages of road construction beginning from from the planning stage besides identification and remedy of black spots in a sustained systematic manner on war footing can help bring down fatal road accidents in the country", said Mr. K K Kapila, President Emeritus, International Road Federation (IRF).
"India is signatory to the United Nation's Decade of Action Plan for road safety across the world which aims to reduce road fatalities by 50% by the year 2020. But the target seems nowhere near", said Mr. Kapila.
He added: "Strict enforcement of the new Motor Vehicle Act wearing of helmets and seat belts , improvement in road engineering, clearing of black spots can help in reduction of fatal road accidents in the state".
