Founded 1948 | Website IRF homepage | |
Motto "Better Roads. Better World." Type Non-governmental organization Location Washington, DC, United States | ||
The International Road Federation is a global not-for-profit organization, headquartered in Washington, DC since 1948 and supported by regional offices throughout the world. IRF serves a network of public and private sector members in more than 70 countries by providing world-class knowledge resources, advocacy services, and continuing education programs which together offer a global marketplace for best practices and industry solutions. The organization is funded primarily through member fees.
Contents
The IRF seeks to promote the benefits of a sustainable road transport infrastructure at all levels of society. It organizes seminars, workshops and events for a broad range of audiences throughout the world. IRF has a number of publications and a transport knowledge library.
The International Road Federation does not recognize any legal affiliation, or programmatic collaboration, with the IRF Geneva Programme Centre or its chapter in India.
History
The IRF was established in 1948 in Washington DC, USA following the end of World War II. Due to massive damage sustained by roads and bridges during the war and an emphasis on a wartime economy, coupled with shortages of gasoline and road-building materials, road networks were neglected and in need of improvement. New road building technologies and more efficient utilization of highway transport had been developed during the war. However, these were understood and applied in only a relatively few countries. IRF took a leading role in the post war reconstruction of road networks.
IRF was granted a special consultative status with the United Nations in 1951 as both an economic and technical expert body in the exchange and application of best practices in road planning and construction. IRF participates in the work of the UNECE, BSEC, EU, World Bank and the European Committee for Standardization.
Activities
IRF has four working groups that each deal with a different aspect of road infrastructure. The working groups are road safety, environment, road financing and intelligent transport systems. These working groups are an international platform that serves to bring together road sector experts around one particular subject. The groups function to disseminate knowledge and best practices.