New Delhi, April 24, 2024 : The two days International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) opened today at Bharat Mandapam, ITPO, New Delhi.
ICDRI is the flagship event of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), an international organization launched by Prime Minister of India in 2019. CDRI currently has 46 members. The theme of ICDRI 2024 is ‘Investing today for a more resilient tomorrow.’
ICDRI is a two-day event that brings together governments, the global infrastructure community, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and the media to support the development of disaster resilient infrastructure.
Inaugurating the event virtually, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, highlighted that damages to infrastructure systems caused by disasters are reported in dollars, but the true impact is felt by people and communities. The Prime Minister congratulated CDRI on its rapid growth since 2019, and its programmes which are supporting the development of resilient infrastructure, including across 13 Small Island Developing States. He closed his remarks with the hope that ICDRI would catalyze action to help achieve ‘shared global resilience’.
Amit Prothi, Director General, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, said: “The world faces significant challenges due to the growing frequency and intensity of disasters. ICDRI’s role has become increasingly important as the largest convening and solutions-driven platform focusing on disaster resilient infrastructure. This is the place that global experts come together to share knowledge and commit to action.”
Aurélien Lechevallier, Director General for Global Affairs and Cultural and Economic Diplomacy, French Foreign Ministry, G7/G20 Sous-Sherpa of France, Co-chair of CDRI shared “France sees CDRI as a crucial initiative for meeting our global climate change adaptation goals. As reflected in the theme of today’s conference, investing now in resilient infrastructure will save lives tomorrow and prevent vulnerable countries from having their development path disrupted by disasters. As a multi-stakeholder coalition, CDRI has the unique capacity to leverage international initiatives such as the Paris Pact for People and the Planet, and tools such as the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment, FAST-Infra sustainable infrastructure certification, and the SOURCE Platform initiated by multilateral development banks to boost investments in resilient infrastructure and provide comprehensive assistance to participating countries”
