Session Annotation  

In the infrastructure transition scenario, developing the resilience of infrastructure will depend on incorporating changing physical climate risk considerations into the standard disaster risk management practices of the infrastructure creators. These standard practices already account for the economic, financial, project, social and environmental risks to different extents. This session will bring together representatives of member countries to reflect on the lessons learned and challenges faced in incorporating disaster risks into infrastructure development, and the approaches that have been considered. Drawing from the same, the session will highlight the capacities that need to be built at subnational and local levels, including those of communities that are at the forefront of coping and responding to the impacts of risks and infrastructure failures in a transitioning world with increasing inter-dependencies.

Session Overview

The infrastructure sector is transitioning to an envisaged net-zero future to mitigate climate change impact. The scenario presents us with a multitude of opportunities in the infrastructure sector in the form of tailoring policies, managing technological shifts, strengthening capacities, and developing a new set of standards and certification systems to aid the transitions. According to the Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI), “Infrastructure development involves multiple stakeholders, who play a critical role. To attain true resilience, it is necessary to improve the knowledge and capacities of all the involved stakeholders.” It is crucial to build resilience in the transitioning infrastructure with appropriate engagement of government and private sector stakeholders. Investing in adequate systemic capacities and individual skills will be instrumental in planning, designing, implementing, operating, and maintaining infrastructure that is resilient to disasters triggered by changing physical climate risks. Aligning with ICDRI themes, the following questions have been developed: 

1. What skill sets are critical for government personnel and field level practitioners in the context of infrastructure transition? 
   • What are the most effective tools that can be used in the short, medium, and long term to enable infrastructure professionals to build for the future? 
   • What will be the main challenges in the domain of capacity development due to transitions to net zero in terms of resilient infrastructure systems?  
   • How are major infrastructure systems which are undergoing transitions to net-zero dealing with the capacity gaps? 
   • Reflections from a practitioner’s point of view on:  

     • Capacity strengthening for coordination and policy enhancement 

     • Capacity strengthening for leadership development through increased knowledge and capabilities

     • Capacity strengthening for innovation (identifying new models, strategies, processes, or approaches) 

2. How to ensure institutional capacity development for strengthening resilience in infrastructure systems (Transport, Telecom and Power) 
   • What are the key elements to be considered in institutional capacity building of infrastructure departments in government and private organizations? 
   •  Role of capacity development to support the decision-making process to deliver infrastructure for resilience. 
3. What strategies must be adopted by institutions engaged in the infrastructure domain to ensure a people-centric approach at all stages of infrastructure projects?