Global Consultation on Principles for Resilient Infrastructure in Doha, Qatar

Background:

A 2016 report by New Climate Economy calculated the need of approximately US$90 trillion that needs to be invested in infrastructure over a period of 15 years, more than what is in place in the entire current stock today. In 2021, the Global Adaptation Commission pegged this estimate to $95 trillion, including the funding for COVID-19 stimulus packages. If mobilized, these investments would not only replace aging infrastructure but also establish new and much more necessary infrastructure systems. However, the current approach to infrastructure planning, financing, design, development, including operation, does not fully take into account either the interdependent nature of infrastructure and services or the increasingly complex nature of risks and the cascading impacts that a disaster can have across the whole infrastructure system.
A "think resilience” approach would address these concerns, encouraging a more comprehensive way of looking at risks and interlinkages.
Today, more people than ever are dependent on the services delivered by critical infrastructure systems, such as health, education, energy, transport, telecommunications, and water. Infrastructure systems are the backbone of the modern economy, and critical infrastructure resilience is essential to develop sustainably.

The COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather events have highlighted potential vulnerabilities and exposure of our infrastructure systems across the globe. Furthermore, one of the key gaps is the lack of understanding of what “resilient infrastructure” actually means and entails in terms of policy, planning, and practical measures, which public and private sectors can refer to when planning and managing infrastructure policies and projects. To address these challenges, UNDRR is developing the ‘Principles for Resilient Infrastructure’ to support the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. These global principles aim to raise awareness and set an understanding of what “resilient infrastructure” constitutes; form the basis for planning and implementation of infrastructure projects that take resilience as a core value; communicate the desired outcomes of national infrastructure systems to establish the resilience of critical services, and, assist the public and private sectors in making risk-informed policy and investment decisions.
A draft of the ‘Principles for Resilient Infrastructure’ has been developed using extensive literature review and expert consultations. The consultations include the input and feedback of over 100 experts in the fields of infrastructure and resilience.
Following consultations have already taken place in developing the ‘Principles for Resilient Infrastructure’:
• five workshops with international organizations,
• presentation at Regional DRR platforms (Africa1, Arab States2, EFDRR3, Americas4),
• an expert group meeting with over 35 leading institutions
The global consultation is an essential part of the process for finalizing the ‘Principles for Resilient Infrastructure’ and aims to bring together national governments and relevant experts, to ensure that opinions are collected and incorporated, where possible, into what is expected to become a global standard for infrastructure resilience.
Objectives of the consultation:
• Obtain feedback and suggestions garnered from national decision-makers and key experts.
• Provide input for the development of a handbook that will allow designated Ministries in National Governments, Infrastructure Regulators, Investors, and other stakeholders to implement these principles and monitor their inclusion.
• Identify commitment for common action and next steps.
Who is the Consultation intended for:
The Global Consultation will bring together national government stakeholders and relevant experts from various areas of infrastructure policy and management to share their opinions on the ‘Principles for Resilient Infrastructure’.