- Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 offers a chance to develop disaster-resilient infrastructure, benefiting from global expertise through the CDRI
NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia’s rapid infrastructure development under Vision 2030 presents an opportunity for the Kingdom to both benefit from and contribute to global efforts to build disaster-resilient infrastructure, Amit Prothi, director-general of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, told Arab News.
Speaking during a visit by BRICS media and reporters to CDRI in New Delhi, Prothi said Saudi Arabia has access to world-class expertise as it develops new cities, tourism destinations and critical infrastructure, but could also benefit from the coalition’s global network of knowledge and practices.
“Saudi Arabia is bringing in very good expertise to advise it on building those new cities,” Prothi said.
He added that the Kingdom has access to some of the best experts available for its major infrastructure investments, particularly as it addresses challenges such as extreme heat.
Prothi was responding to an Arab News question on how Saudi Arabia could advance disaster-resilient infrastructure as it undertakes large-scale development under Vision 2030.
He said CDRI could provide a platform for Saudi experts and engineers to quickly learn how other countries are addressing similar infrastructure challenges.
“For me, there are some countries, like Saudi Arabia, where you don’t have a problem of expertise. You have access to good expertise,” Prothi said. “But sometimes you need somebody else to look and say ‘you may be missing out’.”
He gave the example of critical public infrastructure, highlighting that even when a city is designed to a high standard, resilience considerations for hospitals and schools may require additional attention.
“You built this fantastic city, but maybe the hospitals need to think about something different, or the schools need to think about something different,” he said.
Saudi practices could benefit other countries
Prothi also highlighted the potential for Saudi Arabia to share its own experience with other countries confronting extreme heat.
He pointed to practices in the Gulf construction sector, where work schedules can be adjusted to protect workers from extreme temperatures.
Such measures could provide useful lessons for countries that are increasingly experiencing hotter conditions as a result of climate change, Prothi said.
“These are excellent practices to bring to other countries,” he added, highlighting that countries such as the UK could also face challenges related to extreme heat while developing infrastructure.
The exchange could work both ways, with Saudi Arabia learning from international experience while sharing practices developed in the Kingdom and the wider region, Prothi said.
Global cost of disasters
The discussion came as CDRI highlighted the growing economic consequences of disasters and the need to make infrastructure more resilient.
According to Prothi, disasters cost an estimated $700 billion to $800 billion annually on average, while their indirect impact on economies can be as much as seven times greater.
He said countries remain behind in achieving targets agreed under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, particularly Target D, which focuses on reducing damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.
Infrastructure is also central to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with about 75 percent of the infrastructure required by 2050 yet to be built, according to figures presented during the session.
Prothi highlighted that resilience must therefore be viewed as part of the broader climate adaptation agenda rather than as a separate consideration.
CDRI seeks to make resilience a global priority
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure is a purpose-driven platform bringing together countries, multilateral institutions, the private sector and academia.
The coalition operates on the basis of a charter and has been recognized as an international organization by India.
Its work focuses on advancing disaster-resilient infrastructure globally, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and good practices, encouraging investment in resilient infrastructure and integrating disaster resilience into major international processes, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the G20.
The coalition also works through initiatives such as Infrastructure for Resilient Island States.
Projects under the initiative include resilient housing, hospitals and schools in countries including Dominica, Haiti, the Maldives and Comoros; multi-hazard early warning systems in Fiji, the Dominican Republic, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tonga; resilient roads in Papua New Guinea; water supply, drainage and irrigation projects in Guyana and Mauritius; and power infrastructure initiatives across several Caribbean island states.
For Saudi Arabia, Prothi said the opportunity lies not only in accessing global expertise, but also in contributing its own experience as the Kingdom undertakes one of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure development programs.
“Those are things that can be brought from Saudi Arabia, but also from other countries to Saudi Arabia,” he said, highlighting the importance of international knowledge-sharing in building infrastructure that can withstand increasingly complex climate and disaster risks.
