Baku, Nov 18 (IANS) The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) on Monday announced $8 million of funding for 12 projects across 17 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) under its Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative.

Amit Prothi, CDRI Director General, said: “Small Island Developing States are vulnerable due to their geographic location and small size. Giving due consideration to the need for urgent action, we are announcing 12 new projects as part of CDRI’s commitment to make infrastructure resilient and protect lives and livelihoods, in line with the ambition outlined in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS.”

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019, the CDRI is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and academia that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

The 12 projects announced today will support Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Comoros, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Kiribati, Maldives, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Timor-Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

CDRI’s Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative is funded by Australia, India, the UK, and the EU through donations totalling $40 million to CDRI’s IRAF MultiPartner Trust Fund. This announcement brings the total number of SIDS projects funded by CDRI under this initiative to 23.

Philip Green, Australian High Commissioner to India said: “The Australian government is committed to addressing the climate challenges facing our region and amplifying the voices of Small Island Developing States, the custodians of our world’s oceans. This is why Australia is committing $10 million over 10 years to the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States Initiative which will support projects in the Pacific and other vulnerable regions and strengthen their resilience to climate change and infrastructure risks.”

Leena Nandan, Secretary, of the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said: “Small Island Developing States are at the frontlines of the climate crisis, impacted by extreme climate events that they are least responsible for. Their efforts to build resilience and thrive in the face of existential challenges posed by extreme weather events require decisive collective action and multilateral cooperation at the international level for stronger climate action.

“India remains committed to partnering with SIDS to enable access to climate finance and technical assistance in the face of increasing disaster risks. CDRI’s Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States is a special programme for the resilient prosperity of all SIDS that emerged from the government of India’s efforts to leave no one behind.”

Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said: “I welcome the announcement of projects selected for support under the second cohort of the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States as part of COP29. From its launch at COP26, the programme has made a great start in protecting vulnerable nations from climate change.

“I hope that CDRI can build on this momentum and accelerate its global efforts to make infrastructure more resilient. The UK is proud to partner with CDRI and India in this programme and to support nations where lives and livelihoods are threatened due to the climate crisis.”

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