There is an urgent need to ensure that countries’ infrastructure systems are able to support sustainable development in a changing climate. There are a growing number of good practices in doing this, but they remain the exception rather than the norm. Capacity and financial constraints are hindering the uptake of good practices, while decisions are being made every day that risk locking-in vulnerability to climate change.
This project aims to build technical capacity to plan, manage and finance climate-resilient infrastructure. The project provides technical assistance to countries through a three-phase approach:
Phase 1 - Assessment:
• Enabling Environment Assessment - analytical tools can be used to assess countries’ enabling environments (e.g. policies, standards, processes and legislation) for planning, delivering, operating and maintaining sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems.
• Built Environment Assessment - modelling tools can be used to quantitatively assess the sustainability and resilience of key built infrastructure, and evaluate options for improving the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of infrastructure systems.
• Natural Environment Assessment - impact assessment and modelling tools can be used to quantitatively assess key natural infrastructure (e.g. wetland or coastal mangroves that provide flood protection) and evaluate options to reduce risks and strengthen the delivery of substitutable services for traditional built infrastructure (e.g. nature-based protection and/or service substitution, ecosystem protection and/or expansion).
Phase 2: Planning
based on the results of Phase 1, formulation of infrastructure adaptation plan - prioritisation of options and recommendations for increasing the sustainability of all three aspects of the infrastructure system. These roadmaps are also a basis for engaging public and private investors to fund implementation.
Phase 3: Implementation
Following completion of the Infrastructure Adaptation Plan, there will be a number of agreed actions to implement. The owner of these actions will be the host country. The project can continue to support the government implement the agreed actions through a combination of advisory and technical services. This can include: systems and process set up, capacity building activities such as the creation of guidance and the implementation of training, enhancing and updating of codes and standards, amongst others. All of which will be in support of the agreed actions to mainstream infrastructure adaptation in planning, delivery, operation and maintenance.
It is envisaged that a wider group of potential partners may be brought into support the implementation, from across government, the private sector at a global, regional and local level, as well as other UN entities and PAGE partner agencies if required.