Risk Knowledge, Infrastructure Systems and Resilience in Small Island Developing States

Description

Infrastructure systems provide critical services such as energy, transport, communication, health, water and sanitation. These systems are interconnected and vulnerable to long-term climate change and natural hazards. Understanding the likely impact of climate change and natural hazards on these systems is a fundamental requirement to increasing the resilience of communities who depend on them. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are highly vulnerable to coastal hazards and climate change, but also on the forefront of producing risk information. Hosted by ADB this panel discussion will bring together government representatives from the Cook Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Jamaica, as well as the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) that are conducting/ or have recently completed multi-hazard climate and disaster risk assessments and created associated risk information products. Discussions will start from the key objectives, scope and outputs of these studies, and proceed to review experience with producing and communicating risk information to tackle climate risks and generate investments in resilient infrastructure systems.

Objectives

• Sensitizing participants in the audience to the importance of “fit for purpose and context” risk assessment processes and risk information outputs
• Sharing good practices and lessons learnt in producing risk information that can be used to steer and generate infrastructure investments in resilience and adaptation

Target participants

Government representatives, from Ministries of Finance, Ministries of Planning, Ministries of Land Use and Natural Resources, Ministries of Environment and Climate; Ministries of Energy, Infrastructure; Health, Transport; SoEs or private sector providers of infrastructure services, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral development agencies and development partners.

Agenda

Time	Session	Speakers
5:00 - 5:10 p.m.	Opening Remarks	Bruno Carrasco, Director General, Climate Change, Resilience and Environment, ADB
5:10 - 6:10 p.m.	Moderated Panel Discussion followed by Q&A	Wayne King, Director, Climate Change Office, Government of Cook Islands Matthew Samuda, Minister without Portfolio, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Jamaica Tiofilusi Tiueti, Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Tonga Roberto Rudari, Program Director, CIMA Foundation Noelle O’Brien, Director, Climate Change, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, ADB
6:10 - 6:15 p.m.	Closing Remarks	Alexandra Galperin, Unit Head, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, ADB