Context: Recently, the Prime Minister has addressed the inaugural session of fourth edition of the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) 

• It is the annual conference of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). 
• Aim: to strengthen the global discourse on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure.
• It will engage with decision-makers, practitioners and communities from across the world to discuss challenges, identify good practices, develop collaboration and galvanize concrete actions.
• It will include multi-sectoral and multi-country discussions around infrastructure transitions, risk governance and finance, innovation and human-centered, ecologically sensitive design for building resilience.

Structure

• The Policy Forums will highlight the overarching risk governance perspectives critical for building resilient infrastructure. 
• The Regional Forums will explore various policy contexts in light of the transition and delve deeper into the key challenges for building resilient infrastructure. 
• The Sectoral and Thematic Forums will discuss solutions and success stories that have been identified as broad portfolios of action for CDRI.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

• It is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions.
• Aim: to achieve substantial changes in member countries' policy frameworks and future infrastructure investments, along with a major decrease in the economic losses suffered due to disasters.
• It was launched UN Climate Action Summit in 2019.
• It focuses on developing disaster-resilience in ecological, social, and economic infrastructure.

Objective: to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

• It promotes rapid development of resilient infrastructure to respond to the Sustainable Development Goals’ imperatives of expanding universal access to basic services, enabling prosperity and decent work.

Members: 29 members, consisting of 22 national governments and 7 organizations.
Strategic priorities

• Technical Support and Capacity-building: It includes disaster response and recovery support; innovation, institutional and community capacity-building assistance; and standards and certification. 
• Research and Knowledge Management: It includes collaborative research; global flagship reports; and a global database of infrastructure and sector resilience.
• Advocacy and Partnerships: It includes global events and initiatives; marketplace of knowledge financing and implementation agencies; and dissemination of knowledge products. 

Thematic Areas

• Governance and Policy,
• Risk Identification and Estimation,
• Standards and Certification,
• Capacity building,
• Innovation & Emerging Technology,
• Recovery and Reconstruction,
• Finance and Community based approaches.

Need of CDRI

• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) highlights the role of improved disaster resilience of infrastructure as a cornerstone for sustainable development.

The SFDRR includes four specific targets related to loss reduction:

• Reduce global disaster mortality;
• Reduce the number of affected people;
• Reduce direct disaster economic loss; and
• Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure.

Target (4) on infrastructure is an important prerequisite to achieving the other loss reduction targets set out in the framework.

• Between 2016 and 2040, the global annual infrastructure investment needs are estimated at USD 3.7 trillion per year.
• There is a clear case for ensuring that all future infrastructure systems are resilient in the face of disasters in order to protect our investments. 

Role of CDRI in India

• Provide a platform for India to emerge as a global leader on climate Action and Disaster Resilience.
• Complement the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and address adaptation and disaster resilience.
• Facilitate India’s support to resilient infrastructure in Africa, SIDS and Asia.
• Provide access to knowledge, technology and capacity development for infra developers.
• Create opportunities for Indian infrastructure & technology firms to expand services abroad.