Acting Administrator Gloria D. Steele announced today at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure that the United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will award up to $9.2 million to support the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) to help foster disaster and climate resilient infrastructure pending the availability of funds and Congressional approval.
Formally launched by India in September 2019 at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York, CDRI is a unique global climate initiative involving the private sector, governments, and multilateral agencies.
Physical infrastructure, such as roads, airports, and power grids is integral to a country’s development, resilience, and ability to reduce the risk of disasters and respond to them. Yet, such infrastructure is highly vulnerable to climate change and disasters. CDRI is prioritizing investments in disaster and climate resilient infrastructure to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.
USAID will support CDRI to develop and share innovations, policy recommendations, and best practices in developing disaster and climate resilient infrastructure worldwide. USAID will also help countries incorporate best practices into their infrastructure planning, as well as foster partnerships between governments and the private sector to scale up disaster and climate resilient infrastructure development.
USAID is proud to support CDRI, which is currently comprised of the governments of Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bhutan, Chile, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, Peru, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States; multilateral organizations including the European Union, United Nations, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank; and two private sector associations representing more than 400 companies.