Thematic Session: Strengthening the resilience of critical infrastructure in Europe and Central Asia

The risk landscape in Europe and Central Asia has significantly evolved, marked by numerous recent disasters such as earthquakes in Croatia and Türkiye, severe flooding in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Western and Central Europe, along with heatwaves, wildfires, and droughts across Mediterranean countries, coupled with other manmade risks.

The Global Infrastructure Risk Model and Resilience Index estimates annual losses in Europe and Central Asia due to geological and climate-related hazards at over $200 billion, including over $130 billion from floods, over $60 billion from earthquakes, $12 billion from landslides, and $1 billion from tsunamis. Rapid urbanization, increased digitalization, economic interconnection, and biodiversity loss amplify these risks. By 2050, 84% of Europe’s population is projected to live in urban areas, emphasizing the need for resilient infrastructure to provide essential services and defend against diverse hazards. 

Efforts by governments, development partners, and other stakeholders are crucial in strengthening critical infrastructure resilience, ensuring a coordinated approach to mitigate disaster risks and safeguard development gains. 

This session will address three main objectives:

1. Assessing current and future risks to infrastructure: understand evolving risks to infrastructure due to natural and manmade hazards, and their cascading and compound impacts.
2. Enhancing policy frameworks, governance, and stakeholder engagement: discuss stakeholder roles and policy improvements for stronger infrastructure resilience in the region.
3. Making the case from the investors perspective for strengthening critical infrastructure resilience across the region by sharing best practices, inspiring scalable solutions, and fostering and regional cooperation on resilient infrastructure.

List of speakers:

1. Ms. Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of UNDRR ROECA (moderator)
2. Mr. Gianpiero Nacci, Director, Sustainable Business & Infrastructure, Climate Strategy & Delivery Group, EBRD (keynote speaker)
3. Prof. Orhan Tatar, Director General of Risk Reduction, AFAD Türkiye (keynote speaker)
4. Mr. Christian Resch, Managing Director, Disaster Competence Network Austria
5. Ms. Catarina Bjorlin Hansen, Head of Moldova for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
6. Ms. Aurelia Ciornei, Head, International Cooperation and External Assistance Division, Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Republic of Moldova
7. Ms. Emma Haight, Board Member at ImpactSync and Member of UNDRR Investors Advisory Board