Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Initiative for the Resilient Island States (IRIS) for developing infrastructure of small island nations during COP26.

Modi said that India’s space agency ISRO will build a special data window for them to provide them timely information about cyclones, coral-reef monitoring, coast-line monitoring etc. through satellite.nfidence and satisfaction of doing something for the most vulnerable countries.

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IRIS, a dedicated initiative, has been co-created by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) with support from Member Countries and organizations and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) representatives

IRIS, a dedicated initiative, will provide technical support on the multifaceted issues posed by infrastructure systems and promote disaster and climate resilience of infrastructure assets in SIDS, and share latest knowledge and learnings targeted to specific infrastructure sectors. IRIS will work with SIDS to identify opportunities for partnerships and technical collaborations to strengthen infrastructure systems for resilient development in these countries.

The three intended outcomes are:

Improve resilience of SIDS infrastructure to climate change and disaster risk;Strengthen knowledge and partnerships for integrating resilience in SIDS infrastructure and Promote gender equality and disability inclusion through resilient SIDS infrastructure.

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development. It seeks to rapidly expand the development and retrofit of resilient infrastructure to respond to the Sustainable Development Goals imperatives of expanding universal access to basic services, enabling prosperity and decent work. The CDRI Secretariat is based in New Delhi, India.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a distinct group of 58 island states that face unique social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities owing to their geophysical and structural constraints. Most of these countries are prone to the disastrous effects of climate change. Resilient, sustainable, and inclusive infrastructure plays a key role in mitigating these challenges. More investment and improved institutional capacity for infrastructure systems is urgently needed if SIDS are to maintain their sustainability and effectiveness in service delivery momentum and respond to disaster and climate change risks effectively.

Against this backdrop, CDRI with support from Member Countries and organizations is in the process of setting up Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS), a dedicated initiative for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that provides quality technical and financial services to make SIDS infrastructure resilient to climate change and disaster events.