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We are delighted to have collaborated with the UK’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) to host an international round-table on national infrastructure policy.
Organisations worldwide are tackling similar challenges in contributing to a future with safe, resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
Following the publication of the NIC’s landmark report on resilient infrastructure, “Anticipate, React, Recover: Resilient infrastructure systems’, we are together convening a group of those in similar organisations or working to tackle the same challenges in their nations.
Chaired by Dr Juliet Mian, Deputy Executive Director and Technical Director, The Resilience Shift, and Giles Stevens, Director of Policy, National Infrastructure Commission, the round-table event on 21 July 2020 aimed to share good practice recognising the different challenges for national and international organisations.
Participants explored areas of common understanding and sought out opportunities to coordinate activity better and to share information of benefit to all for future peer-to-peer learning and collaboration.
Áine Ni bhreasail , representing The Resilience Shift, commented on some of the key themes from the round-table. “Common challenges across our international organisations included stakeholder engagement: how to gain consensus and sufficient input from the public” she said, “as well as the need to create an environment that enables infrastructure resilience to be prioritised.”
With a focus on infrastructure resilience at the core of the discussion, “our participants also discussed how to take a systems approach to infrastructure that would support both resilient and sustainable outcomes”, she added.
The meeting was designed to create an enhanced dialogue between infrastructure commissions and advisory bodies worldwide. Invited participants represented Infrastructure Australia, United Nations Operations (UNOPS), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Global Center for Adaptation (GCA), the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales, Emergency Management Australia, and the G20 Global Infrastructure Hub (GIHub).
Giles Stevens said, “Resilience has probably never been more topical.”
“It was great to start a dialogue on how we can share best practice and to hear the range of perspectives and approaches to infrastructure resilience being taken by organisations around the world”, he added.
A summary report will be published subsequently to capture key findings from the session.