ICDRI showcases international cooperation on resilient infrastructure

DELHI, INDIA - In April 2024, the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) included a dedicated session on "Safeguarding Investments in Disaster Resilient Infrastructure through Strengthened Governance."

In the session, Bhutan, Chile, and Madagascar shared their experiences in implementing the CDRI/UNDRR Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Reviews. Experts from CDRI, UNDRR, ADB and Octopus Group also provided their insights on the topic.

Overall, the countries emphasized that initial findings have led to increased awareness of the need to integrate resilience into infrastructure policies and guidelines. Furthermore, the implementation process has led to more collaborative relationships across departments and ministries.

Chile emphasized that one of the main impacts of this project is strengthening collaborative relationships with other ministries through the joint identification of gaps and cross-sectoral synergies. This not only contributes to a more integrated and proactive approach to disaster risk reduction and resilience building but it also sets a more robust environment for next steps such as securing funding for the implementation of recommendations.

Madagascar is already seeing the benefits of stakeholders coming together, from the early stages of implementation. This is leading to enhanced communication among the ministries. For lasting improvements in Madagascar, the government recognizes the need to build the capacity of stakeholders to conduct stress testing so that this exercise can be done annually.

In Bhutan, stakeholders explored the complexities of infrastructure vulnerabilities. Stakeholders emphasized the importance of cultural heritage preservation and how this must be considered when assessing infrastructure resilience. The fortresses, temples, and other monuments in Bhutan are important for preserving unique architectural values and for supporting the tourist sector.

Financiers highlight the need to develop a common language. Often, investors assume that the assets they are investing in are built with a high level of resilience, which might not be the case. Equipping investors with the right tools and frameworks is essential. For example, using UNDRR's Principles for Resilient Infrastructure, the Octopus Sustainable Infrastructure Fund developed their own questionnaire to screen potential investments for resiliency.

ADB emphasized the role of governments in setting national priorities. ADB highlighted that there is still limited understanding of the social and economic benefits of investing in disaster risk reduction, hence more science to address the information gaps is essential.

UNDRR emphasized that Target D (infrastructure losses and service disruption) of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is the second most under-reported target. One of the main challenges is that this type of data is not managed by one institution. There is also a lack of data collection standards, resulting in various levels of quality. To solve this challenge, UNDRR is now developing a new loss and damage tracking system.

CDRI highlighted several challenges that were identified while working with member countries. First, there is a lack of robust risk analytics. There is not a clear understanding of the risk, even if data is available, it is not in a usable and accessible format, hence it is not possible to visualize the cost of inaction and return on investing in resilience. Second, a large section of existing infrastructure professionals is not trained to design resilient infrastructure, there is a huge gap in technical capacities. Therefore, sustained investment in building capacities is essential.