NEW DELHI: The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), opened the 5th edition of its flagship conference, ICDRI 2023, on Tuesday at the Taj Palace, New Delhi. ICDRI 2023 is focused on bringing solutions integrating resilience in infrastructure onTuesday to ensure access, delivery and continuity of essential services to people and communities.

This is becoming essential especially in the face of increasing exposure and impact of disasters and extreme climatic events.

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Inaugurating the conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Infrastructure is not only about returns but also about reach and resilience.

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“Infrastructure must leave none behind and serve the people even during time of crisis.

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“A holistic view of infrastructure is needed.

“Studying past disasters and learning lessons from them is the way”, Modi said.

He further added, “Some of the initiatives of the CDRI are already showing their inclusive intent.

“The Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative or IRIS benefits many island nations.

“Since the commitment of financial resources is key to the success of initiatives, the US $50 million Infra Resilience Accelerator Fund was announced last year, which has generated immense interest amongst developing nations.

“I am confident that the deliberations at ICDRI 2023 will provide a pathway to achieve the shared vision of a more resilient world.”

Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina shared, “Since origins of climate change are global, the solution and management would also have to be global.

“Only if the global efforts and individual countries’ efforts are streamlined through responsive policy, planning and governance, the actions are likely to be successful.

“Bangladesh is ready to join any initiative at a regional or global level dealing with the impacts of climate change.

“I call for coordinated global efforts and shared vision for climate adaptation mitigation and resilient infrastructure,” she said.

Featuring over 17 sessions, ICDRI 2023 follows a hybrid format, convening DRI stakeholders, CDRI Member Countries and partners on a common platform to strengthen the global discourse on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure.

It will also showcase four experiential booths covering virtual reality, gaming technologies, AI for Resilient Cities, Seismic AI amongst others.

The two-day conference will witness deliberations on solutions and pathways to ‘Delivering Resilient Infrastructure’, delving into practices of creating risk-informed systems, resilient infrastructure assets, and innovative financing ensuring resilient infrastructure for people and economies across different geographies, climate typologies, and infrastructure sectors.