5th international conference on disaster resilient infrastructure

General Studies Paper 3

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister of India, addressed the 5th International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) 2023.

What is ICDRI?

• About:
  • ICDRI is the annual international conference of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)in  partnership with member countries, organizations and institutions to strengthen the global discourse on disaster and climate-resilient infrastructure.
• Highlights of ICDRI 2023:
  • The Prime Minister said that sinceIndia is leading the G20 group, the CDRI will be included in many important discussions.
    • This means that the solutions discussed in the CDRI will be considered at the highest levels of global policymaking.

What is CDRI?

• About:
  • CDRI is an Independent International Organization consisting of global partnership of national  governments, United Nations agencies and programs, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and academic and research institutions.
    • It aims to increase the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.
    • It was launched in 2019, at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New
  • CDRI is India’s second major global initiative after the International Solar Alliance(ISA).
    • The CDRI Secretariat is based in New Delhi,
  • Members:
    • Since its inception,31 countries, 6 international organisations and 2 private sector organisations have joined CDRI as members.
  • Significance for India:
    • CDRI provides a platform for India to emerge as a global leader in climate Action and Disaster Resilience.
    • It boosts India’s soft power, but more importantly it has wider connotation than just economics, as synergy between disaster risk reduction, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)and Climate Accord provides for sustainable and inclusive growth.

What are the Initiatives of CDRI?

• Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS):
  • India launched this initiative as a part of the CDRI that would focus on building capacity, having pilot projects, especially in Small Island Developing States or SIDS.
    • SIDS face the biggest threat from climate change.
  • India’s space agency ISRO will build a special data window for them to provide them with timely information about cyclones, coral-reef monitoring, coastline monitoring etc. through satellite.
• Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund:
  • The Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund is a fund supported by both the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

It is a trust fund that will be managed by the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (UN MPTFO) to help in improving the ability of infrastructure systems to withstand disasters, with a special focus on developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).