Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the 5th International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) 2023 via a video message. The conference aimed to discuss and implement initiatives to make infrastructure more resilient and inclusive in the face of disasters.
The Prime Minister noted that the CDRI arose from a global vision, where the impact of disasters would not just be local.
Therefore, he emphasized the need for an integrated response and applauded the participation of governments, global institutions, private sectors, and domain experts in over 40 countries.
The Prime Minister highlighted the priorities for disaster-resilient infrastructure in the context of this year’s theme of ‘Delivering Resilient and Inclusive Infrastructure’.
He emphasized the importance of infrastructure being not just about returns but also about reach and resilience. Furthermore, he stressed the need for a holistic view of infrastructure, including social and digital infrastructure.
The Prime Minister also underlined the need to focus not just on quick relief but also on the early restoration of normalcy. He encouraged studying past disasters and learning from them as the way to build resilience.
The Prime Minister further suggested the intelligent use of local knowledge with modern technology to create infrastructure that can withstand disasters, which could become global best practices.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the inclusive intent of some of the CDRI initiatives, including the Infrastructure for ResiliModern technology with local insights can be great for resilienceent Island States initiative or IRIS, and the Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund.
He emphasized that the commitment of financial resources is key to the success of such initiatives.
Lastly, the Prime Minister underlined the importance of CDRI’s work in the face of recent disasters, such as the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
He informed about the inclusion of CDRI in many working groups during India’s G20 presidency and assured the conference that the solutions explored would receive attention at the highest levels of global policy-making.
The Prime Minister’s message emphasized the need for collective action to build disaster-resilient infrastructure and the role of CDRI in creating a platform for global collaboration on this critical issue.