President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has decided to seek Parliament’s consideration for the Maldives to join the charter of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The president is seeking parliament approval following Cabinet approval of the proposal.
At the virtual Cabinet session held on Tuesday, the Minister of Defense, following submission of the paper to the Cabinet, noted that the 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, thereby ensuring sustainable development.
The charter was submitted by India, and the Maldives expressed its support for the charter at the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations. The charter promotes investments in disaster-resilient infrastructure development and aligns with the government’s strategic action plan.
The Presidents’ Office said the main aim of the charter is to develop resources and measures to mitigate the impact on infrastructure resulting from crises related to climate change, and to seek avenues for adaptation in existing infrastructure. The aim, vision and mission of the charter were compiled to include aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals, and climate change addressed in the Paris Agreement; the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction; and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The collaborative partnership enables the exchange and spread of scientifically accurate knowledge, enabling the contribution of all stakeholders to strengthen the resilience of infrastructure systems. The Cabinet reached this important decision, on Tuesday, October 13, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
