Announcements included the awarding of research grants for 53 projects spanning 21 countries
Inaugurating a key conference on disaster-resilient infrastructure in France, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that coastal regions and islands are at great risk because of climate change and stressed the need for countries to come together to build a resilient future for all.
The International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI), which is now in its seventh year, is being held over Friday and Saturday in Nice, France. This is the first time the conference, organised by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), has been held in Europe with France as a co-chair.
This year, the focus is on ways to unlock public and private finance to protect coastal and island communities and small island developing states (SIDS) like Mauritius and Fiji, from growing climate risks such as sea level rise and extreme storms - which is especially important since approximately 37% of the global population resides within 100 km of the coast. The theme for the year is ‘Shaping a Resilient Future for Coastal Regions'.
Inaugurating the event virtually, Prime Minister Modi spoke about shared experiences of coastal communities across the globe and how India and Bangladesh recently witnessed Cyclone Remal, the Caribbean had Hurricane Beryl, South East Asia saw Typhoon Yagi and parts of the United States of America were devastated by Hurricane Helene.
"Coastal regions and islands are at great risk due to disasters and climate change. Let us build infrastructure that stands firm against time and tide, creating a stronger, more resilient future for all," the Prime Minister said.
The conference has brought together leaders, policymakers, technical experts and practitioners from 54 diverse countries, including India, Samoa, Fiji, Japan and New Zealand.
Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said, "Resilient infrastructure is not
just a policy option - it is a necessity for survival. We believe that resilience begins not at the
shoreline but in the minds and systems we build."
Call To Action
With changing climate patterns leading to stronger storms and rising sea levels, the impact on vulnerable infrastructure systems and communities is intensifying and during sessions and closed-door meetings at the conference, three key pillars to drive resilience efforts were addressed: access to finance, data, technology and early warning systems, and codes and standards.
Announcements at the conference included the awarding of research grants for 53 projects spanning 21 countries, as well as a call to action for accelerating infrastructure resilience in small island nations. The emphasis was on the urgent need for global collaboration and investment.
In his opening address, CDRI's Director General Amit Prothi said, "ICDRI 2025 unites global voices to inform action for vulnerable coastal communities and SIDS. Through our IRIS programme, we are supporting 24 projects across 25 SIDS, driving sustainable and inclusive infrastructure development."
CDRI, which is headquartered in Delhi, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019, and is a major global initiative playing a leadership role in climate change and disaster resilience matters.
ICDRI is taking place alongside the 3rd United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice and, on Friday, there was a spectacular drone show over the coastline, with 2,025 drones taking to the skies, creating sea animals such as dolphins, fish, turtles and manta rays. The drone show was the largest in Europe so far.
