Remarks by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj

at Special Event hosted by India on the

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

[13 July, PMI, New York]

Distinguished Guests,

Dear Friends,

With the High-Level Political Forum underway, we have witnessed substantive discussions in recent days on various aspects of development. Two key themes have taken center stage: the importance of disaster risk reduction and resilience, particularly in light of the increasing number of natural disasters worldwide, and the urgent need to assist Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in facing and addressing these challenges. SIDS are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and disasters.

Today, our purpose is to bring these two themes together and engage in a conversation about practical steps that can be taken to help SIDS cope with the impact of natural disasters and enable them to build high-quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure. Joining us is the Director-General of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), a coalition of member states and international organizations dedicated to assisting countries in building resilient infrastructure.

Distinguished guests,

Building resilient infrastructure and reducing disaster risks are major policy priorities for India, both domestically and internationally. During India's presidency, the G20 has established a Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction, which focuses on early warning systems for all, resilient infrastructure, improved financing of disaster risk reduction (DRR), response systems and capacities, "build back better" approaches, and ecosystem-based approaches to DRR.

The CDRI is a significant initiative by India, and we are proud to be its founding member. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 during the Climate Action Summit in New York, the Coalition has grown to include 31 member states and 8 international and multilateral organizations, such as UNDP, UNDRR, World Bank, ADB, and the European Investment Bank.

While I will let Mr. Prothi provide further details about the organization and its work, I would like to highlight the Infrastructure For Resilient Island States (IRIS) initiative. Jointly launched at the World Leaders Summit during COP26 in Glasgow by the Prime Ministers of India, UK, Australia, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mauritius, IRIS aims to specifically support SIDS in achieving sustainable development.

Distinguished guests, as stated by my Prime Minister, India sees SIDS not merely as "Small Island States," but as "Large Ocean Countries." We have always respected your priorities and consider ourselves proud development partners. We stand ready to share our capabilities and experiences with you wholeheartedly and without hesitation.

Thank you!