Investing in Quality Infrastructure for a Green, Inclusive and Resilient Recovery

The crisis arising from COVID-19 came on top of weakening economic prospects in many emerging economies. Aside from its toll on lives and wellbeing, the crisis reduced incomes while increasing government debt, unemployment, inequality, and poverty levels. It also exposed structural issues, including the vulnerability of households and firms to health and economic shocks.

While still dealing with the immediate impacts, governments must also explore how best to stimulate longer-term economic growth and increase employment while achieving greener, resilient, and inclusive development (GRID).

Infrastructure investment can be a fundamental part of the solution.

Climate considerations, resilience, and inclusivity must be a part of the design of future infrastructure investment programs. Better infrastructure governance can also promote strong decision-making and service delivery.

The Quality Infrastructure Investment (QII) Principles, approved by the G20 in 2019, provide a framework for approaching infrastructure investment in line with GRID.

Week 1: Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID) and Quality Infrastructure Investments

Students learn about GRID and the QII Principles and how they can help maintain a line of sight between the short-term goals of economic recovery and long-term goals of lower carbon emissions and more resilient, inclusive infrastructure.

Week 2: Green Infrastructure: Climate and Environmental Considerations

This week covers the environmental impacts of infrastructure projects (climate, ecosystem, biodiversity) and how they can be made more transparent to shareholders. It also reviews how climate and environmental considerations can be addressed in the infrastructure project lifecycle to achieve policy goals, such as climate adaptation and mitigation, including through nature-based solutions.

Week 3: More resilient and inclusive infrastructure

Students examine the concept of resilience and the types of “shocks” that can affect infrastructure assets and services. It focuses on introducing resilience to disasters, climate change, and other shocks in planning and implementing infrastructure projects. We also look at how to provide access to infrastructure services in a non-discriminatory manner, mainstreaming inclusiveness through the infrastructure project cycle and reducing disparities in opportunities and outcomes so that excluded groups realize a fair share of the benefits.

Week 4: Implementing a life-cycle cost approach

Topics covered include the life-cycle cost approach to infrastructure; why it is important for achieving GRID; how it can be operationalized; and how asset management in infrastructure planning, procurement, and delivery can be developed. It includes procurement strategies that promote the life-cycle cost approach, leveraging technologies, and implementation challenges.

Week 5: Strengthening Infrastructure Governance

This week examines important governance-related issues such as macro-fiscal considerations, debt sustainability, cybersecurity, transparency, and integrity. It also includes the role of capacity building in strengthening infrastructure governance, common governance challenges, and challenges in countries characterized by small economies, low incomes, fragility, conflict, and violence.