By India Today News Desk: A 35-member team from Brazil and other Latin American countries visited the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) under a G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group initiative, ‘Troika Youth for Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’.
“The unprecedented challenges posed by climate uncertainties and increasing frequency and impact of disasters make it imperative for countries to work collaboratively. To ensure a more resilient future, CDRI is focused on youth initiatives that can facilitate shaping a robust and resilient future,” said Amit Prothi, Director General, CDRI.
To showcase sustainable and resilient infrastructure practices in large infrastructure projects, the delegation also visited the flagship Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, connecting Delhi and Meerut on May 16, being built by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a joint venture between the Government of India and the states of the NCR region.
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CDRI shared its youth-centric initiatives, which are playing a pivotal role in promoting disaster-resilient infrastructure. These initiatives include the Fellowship Programme, which facilitates transformative, actionable, and scalable solutions for real-world issues of DRI; the IRAX initiative, which aims to develop a global network of academic institutions promoting resilient infrastructure; and the Young Professionals Programme, which recognises the importance of investing in youth as vital stakeholders for a more resilient future.
CDRI also shared insights on its other ongoing projects in Power, Transport, Telecom, Health and Urban infrastructure sectors, and the programme for SIDS — Infrastructure for Resilient Island States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spearheaded the formation of the CDRI, which focuses on resilient infrastructure that can withstand and recover from the impacts of natural disasters. CDRI aims to promote research, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building for disaster-resilient infrastructure.
Through CDRI, PM Modi has emphasised the importance of planning and implementing sustainable and resilient infrastructure at the ongoing G20 Summit in India.
Launched by PM Modi at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on September 23, 2019, the CDRI is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.
CDRI promotes the development of resilient infrastructure to respond to the Sustainable Development Goals’ imperatives of expanding universal access to basic services.
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