CDRI, a Coalition of 41 countries, multilateral organizations, the private sector, and academic institutions, brings 'ICDRI Americas' to identify emerging priorities and innovative solutions for disaster resilient infrastructure (DRI) in the Americas region.

- The conference theme is ‘Partnering for People-centered and Future-ready Disaster Resilient Infrastructure,’ aiming to build a national, regional, and global constituency committed to climate and disaster resilient infrastructure.

- The conference will explore innovative financing mechanisms to attract pivotal and sustainable DRI investments.

 

30 October 2023, Washington, D.C. : The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) kicked off its first regional conference, the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) - Americas, in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Miyamoto International, in Washington, D.C., today. With a focus on accelerating investments in and financing for disaster and climate resilient infrastructure in the Americas region, the conference will identify emerging regional priorities and lay the groundwork for future collaboration.

Sessions throughout the one-day Conference will focus on mobilizing finance for disaster resilient infrastructure, developing solutions for the unique challenges faced by small-island states, and forging partnerships with academic institutions to galvanize the next generation of infrastructure professionals. The Conference is timely, particularly as the Latin American and Caribbean region faces increasing infrastructure risks due to natural hazards and disasters. Current estimates highlight assets at risk due to disasters in Latin America represent approximately 1% of the GDP.

Amit Prothi, Director General, Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) remarked, “CDRI’s first regional conference ‘ICDRI Americas’ presents an opportunity to focus on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. Infrastructure is critical to achieving the SDG’s. Trillions of dollars are needed for building infrastructure, yet significant portions of this capital are at risk due to natural hazards and climate change. There is a growing need for robust understanding of risk and risk information, and the changing vulnerabilities. Over the long term, investments in resilience pay for itself and more.”.

USAID/India Mission Director Veena Reddy said, "The United States is proud to participate in the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure - Americas to accelerate investments in people-centric and disaster resilient infrastructure. The conference will expand CDRI's engagement in the region, bringing together experts from the government, private sector, and academia to forge strategic partnerships and enable peer-to-peer exchange, with exponential impact.”

Kit Miyamoto, Global CEO, Miyamoto International said, “In disaster zones around the world, I have seen first-hand the impact of collapsed buildings, bridges, and power infrastructure. Disaster resilient infrastructure is one of the best ways to reduce the loss of lives and economic losses. Engineers, urban planners, universities, and government leaders need to come together to share and institutionalize

measures like building codes, resilient construction techniques and regular infrastructure maintenance. Events like ICDRI are critical for exchanging knowledge.”

Following the successful ICDRI annual conference in New Delhi, in April 2023 which brought together more than 2,000 participants from 158 countries, the Americas conference reinforced CDRI’s commitment to advance the global discourse on disaster resilient infrastructure. ICDRI Americas is expected to identify priority interventions for the region as it analyzes present challenges and future needs related to DRI. The conference is expected to provide direction for policy makers to develop action plans to initiate joint collaborative efforts on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure transition in the Americas.

About CDRI:

Launched by the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on 23 September 2019, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and academia that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

For further queries, please contact:

Mallika Srinivasan | (M): +91 9818094372 | mallika.srinivasan@cdri.world

Haimanti Mukherjee | (M): +91 8826540253 | haimantim@avianwe.com