Baku: A Major Milestone

Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI) is still a relatively new concept for many people, particularly in the context of climate discussions. While it has been a topic of focus in COPs for the last three years, this year marked a significant milestone as the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) decided to have its own pavilion at the recently concluded UN Climate Change Conference or COP29 at Baku in Azerbaijan, says Amit Prothi, Director General of CDRI. This move allowed them to take a leading role in discussing the importance of disaster-resilient infrastructure. The visibility was immense, with many individuals showing interest in their work, which included around 38 sessions organised with partners, experts, and member countries.

COP29 in Baku marked a major step for the organisation’s visibility on the global stage. While much of their prior work had been through other forums, Baku offered CDRI high visible presence on the global stage. The pavilion attracted high-profile visitors, including prime ministers and dignitaries, whose thinking resonated with the message about the role of infrastructure in climate adaptation, elaborates Prothi.

Disaster-resilient infrastructure was discussed in various forums beyond the organisation’s pavilion. CDRI invited to speak at sessions organised by the Financial Times, the World Bank, and other notable organisations. It became clear that there is a growing recognition of the importance of disaster-resilient infrastructure in broader global conversations.

Support for SIDS

A significant milestone at COP29, according to Prothi, was CDRI’s announcement of $8 million funding for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) for crucial areas like early warning systems, coastal infrastructure, and water management.

Referring to the new global climate finance target of $300 billion annually by 2035, Prothi highlights how it can directly impact sectors such as water management, power resilience, and coastal defence-areas where disaster risk reduction projects are already underway. CDRI’s focus is on ensuring these projects are aligned with global adaptation goals, making them eligible for future funding.

Talking about the lack of progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation at COP29, Prothi says that the organisation takes a long-term approach to infrastructure, as it requires careful planning and foresight. CDRI is working on projects like coastal power infrastructure in Odisha that directly align with the global adaptation goal. Their efforts aim to ensure that infrastructure is ready to secure funding as climate resilience funding becomes available, particularly in sectors like water management, power resilience, and coastal defence, adds Prothi.

CDRI’s Future

Positioning itself as the leader in disaster-resilient infrastructure, CDRI plans to continue working on building capacity to understand climate risks in infrastructure. The aim is to provide sharper insights into how infrastructure can integrate risk reduction in planning. Future goals include remaining at the forefront of the conversation, publishing relevant data, and participating in global forums such as COP Brazil in 2025. At Baku, CDRI launched a joint publication with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on resilient infrastructure in South Asia’s transportation sector.

Looking ahead, Prothi outlines CDRI’s strategy for expanding its membership to 75 countries by the end of 2026, with a special focus on vulnerable regions like Africa and Southeast Asia.  However, as their scope of work expands, CDRI plans to actively fundraise starting in 2025 to ensure continued growth and success. So far, the support from the Government of India has been pivotal in the organisation’s ability to raise additional funds.  Apart from fund-raising, CDRI is also cognisant of the need to engage more actively with the private sector to support resilient infrastructure projects.   The organisation is exploring ways for governments and the private sector to collaborate on the financial aspects of building resilient infrastructure,

Prothi concludes by reaffirming CDRI’s commitment to leading the global conversation on disaster-resilient infrastructure, positioning the organisation as a key player in shaping climate-resilient futures through both policy and actionable projects.