Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a multi-stakeholder global partnership launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York on 23 September 2019. It brings together national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and knowledge institutions to promote the resilience of infrastructure systems against climate and disaster risks. CDRI directly advances the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), the Paris Agreement (2015), and the Sustainable Development Goals — particularly the Sendai targets on reducing damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services. Its Secretariat is headquartered in New Delhi, and it was registered in 2022 by the Union Cabinet as an International Organisation under the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947, giving it diplomatic standing and exemptions.

CDRI operates through a Governing Council co-chaired by India and one other member nation, supported by an Executive Committee and the New Delhi Secretariat. Its flagship deliverable is the biennial-to-annual International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI). A signature initiative is the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS), launched at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021 by India, the UK, Australia and Small Island Developing States, channelling resources to SIDS that are acutely vulnerable to cyclones and sea-level rise. CDRI also publishes the Global Infrastructure Resilience report and develops the Global Resilience Index, while supporting sector-specific resilience in power, transport, telecommunications, water and health infrastructure. Membership has expanded rapidly to over 40 countries and several international organisations, including both developed and developing states.

CDRI is frequently bracketed with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a pair of India-spearheaded multilateral institutions headquartered on Indian soil, reflecting India's leadership in global climate diplomacy. As of 2026 India remains the principal financial backer, having committed substantial seed and recurring funding, with the Coalition serving as a platform for South-South and North-South cooperation on resilient infrastructure standards, risk financing and post-disaster reconstruction. It complements India's domestic disaster-management architecture under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and aligns with India's G20 presidency outcomes in 2023 that prioritised disaster risk reduction.

For the UPSC examination, CDRI is high-value across General Studies Paper III (environment, disaster management, science and technology) and Paper II (important international institutions and groupings involving India). Prelims questions test factual recall: the launch year and venue (2019, UN Climate Action Summit), headquarters (New Delhi), founding leader (PM Modi), and its grant of International Organisation status. A common trap pairs it incorrectly with the ISA's solar mandate or misattributes its host city. Mains and interview questions probe analytical angles — how CDRI advances the Sendai Framework, India's emergence as a norm-setter in global climate governance, and the IRIS initiative's relevance for Small Island Developing States. Aspirants should distinguish CDRI's infrastructure-resilience focus from the broader emissions-reduction agenda of the Paris Agreement and connect it to India's wider soft-power and multilateral diplomacy.