CoP26 summit: ‘Infrastructure for Resilient Island States’

Context:

India launched the Initiative for the Resilient Island States (IRIS) for developing infrastructure of small island nations, saying that it gives a new hope, a new confidence and satisfaction of doing something for the most vulnerable countries.

Relevance:

GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Conservation of the Environment, International Treaties and Agreements), GS-II: International Relations (India’s neighbors, Foreign Policies affecting India’s Interests)

Dimensions of the Article:

1. Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS)
2. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS)

• India has launched the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) initiative for developing the infrastructure of small island nations.
• IRIS initiative becomes critical given that these small island nations remain the most vulnerable countries facing the biggest threat from climate change. They face an existential threat due to climate change.
• The IRIS is a part of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) initiative. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a multi-stakeholder global partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions, launched at the UN Climate Action Summit of 2019. It aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.
• The new initiative is the result of cooperation between India, the U.K. and Australia and included the participation of leaders of small island nations such as Fiji, Jamaica and Mauritius.
• The initiative would involve setting up norms and standards for resilient infrastructure in small island states and coastal areas. IRIS would focus on building capacity, having pilot projects in small island developing states. The promotion of quality infrastructure in the Small Island States will benefit both lives and livelihoods in such states.
• India’s space agency ISRO will build a special data window for the small island nations to provide them timely information about cyclones, coral-reef monitoring, coast-line monitoring through satellite.
• The initiative will make it easy for SIDS to mobilise technology, finance and necessary information faster and more effectively.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is an international coalition of countries, United Nations (UN) agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions, that aims to promote disaster-resiliant infrastructure.
• Its objective is to promote research and knowledge sharing in the fields of infrastructure risk management, standards, financing, and recovery mechanisms.
• CDRI’s initial focus is on developing disaster-resilience in ecological, social, and economic infrastructure.
• It aims to achieve substantial changes in member countries’ policy frameworks and future infrastructure investments, along with a major decrease in the economic losses suffered due to disasters.

-Source: The Hindu