Review of Road Safety Management Capacity in Nepal – WB

Funding Agency: The World Bank
Client: The World Bank
Date: March 2009 – September 2009

Review safety management capacity in Nepal in accordance with the guidelines set out in World Bank Transport Note TN-1 and the revised country capacity checklist; and reach consensus with the government and senior officials on a multi-sectored investment strategy for improving road safety management capacity in the country, and short-term measures to overcome revealed capacity weaknesses, in accordance with World Bank guidelines. Specifically:

• Appraise the country’s results focus at a system level, an intervention level, (planning design operation and use of the network, entry and exit of vehicles and drivers, recovery/rehabilitation of crash victims), at an institutional level (legislation, promotion, R&D, etc,), and at the lead agency level. The appraisal will be carried out in accordance with the operational guidelines set out in World Bank Transport Note TN-1;
• Assess lead agency strengthening priorities, and then will specify an investment strategy and implementation options (including options in the Bank project) and determine a sequencing of investments for an establishment, growth and consolidation phase(s) to strengthen the results, intervention and institutional management functions in the country;

Confirm review findings at a high-level workshop which will not focus on creating expectations among key stakeholders for the early definition of projects that they may have specific interests in, but rather the role of the lead agency and the dimensions for the country investment strategy for the short, medium and long-term. However, general agreement should be achieved on the next steps for the successful initiating of short-term implementation arrangements.

Overall Services provided:

1. Inception report with a detailed work plan for the study.
2. The review of the safety management capacity was carried out in accordance with the operational guidelines set out in World Bank Transport Note TN-1. The review was carried out partly as a desk study, partly with field visits including interviews with all relevant stakeholders. It was based on a multi-sectoral approach as described in the operational guidelines. The review was carried out at a strategic level focusing on the three best practice dimensions:

    a.    Focus on results;

    b.    Safety interventions; and

    c.    Implementation arrangements.

Special emphasis was put on the institutional framework, which was the precondition for the successful implementation of road safety measures. The checklist based on the World Bank Transport Note TN-1 was used during the review:

Seminar for appropriate Government officials and Ministers where the findings of the project as well as the  proposed Investment Strategy and Short-term Action Plan was presented and discussed. The Consultant aimed at reaching consensus on the Investment Strategy and the feedback from the seminar was incorporated in the Final Report. In the light of the multi-sectoral approach it was considered during the study to include   other stakeholders from outside Government institutions.