The International Leadership of India and the Coalition for Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure

In a rules‑based international order, relations among nations grounded in cooperation allow us to move beyond mutually beneficial commercial exchange to build forms of leadership rooted in collective efforts to confront shared challenges. During our visit to India, we were able to learn about two institutions that project the country internationally not merely as a destination market, but as a leader for the future and a reliable partner in the face of natural disasters: the Coalition for Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the 60th Parachute Hospital.

Coalition for Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure

“Infrastructure translates into quality of life”, began the presentation of the CDRI’s Director‑General, Dr Amit Prothi, as he set the context for understanding infrastructure. Speaking specifically about resilience, he explained that “in the case of earthquakes, two‑thirds of economic losses are attributable to infrastructure”. He also cited the World Bank, noting that an investment of “USD 1 today in climate‑resilient infrastructureyields USD 4 in future benefits”.

With regard to this point, during our private conversation with Dr Amit Prothi we discussed how cost–benefit methodologies might be incorporated. He explained that “by improving infrastructure, or by marginally increasing its cost, it is possible to obtain returns of up to twelve times in the energy sector when facing a cyclone, solely through targeted enhancements to transmission towers, owing to the avoided costs of service interruption. This is one of several cost–benefit analyses conducted for the Government of India. Our own approach examines the sectors of interest and, through a pilot study, determines the cost–benefit ratio associated with strengthening resilience”.

Our host was explicit to the delegation in adopting a holistic, urban‑centred perspective, defining resilient infrastructure as that which “ensures that a natural event does not result in a severe disruption of the energy grid, the paralysis of the health network, or the loss of communications”. From this standpoint, resilience entails managing the risks associated with different hazards so that, when they occur, their impact does not escalate into a disaster or a humanitarian crisis.

CDRI: A Multilateral Initiative Led by India

The CDRI was established at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the United Nations Climate Change Summit, with the purpose of advancing sustainable development by integrating disaster‑risk considerations into infrastructure planning. Today, it comprises a total of 72 members:  including 59 nations, various UN programmes, the private sector, and academic institutions, all of whom cooperate to improve the quality of life of more than 3 billion people.

At present, the Coalition is funded primarily by India (60%), complemented by contributions from its members. Operationally, its governance is structured around an Executive Committee composed of two co‑chairs, a Director‑General, a representative of international organisations, and one representative from each of the regions to which its members belong (the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific).

CDRI: An Efficient Model for Knowledge Management

The CDRI operates as a knowledge steward, coordinating its members in the exchange of technical expertise, supporting young researchers from member countries, and facilitating the adoption of best practices identified across their diverse experiences. This mechanism functions as a mutualisation of research costs, whereby the knowledge generated by each member benefits the others, enabling research teams to connect and create synergies that would otherwise be lost.

Among its initiatives, the International Conference on Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure, the Biennial Global Report on Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure, and the Resilient Infrastructure Acceleration Fund stand out. In addition, the Coalition offers geo‑contextual programmes focused on resilience in island states, urban environments, and mountainous regions.

Recovering Ancestral Knowledge

The CDRI’s vision places emphasis on successful experiences, recognising that traditional practices can be valuable for achieving resilience (just as pre‑Hispanic technology has been instrumental in the development of patents in Chile). However, “some of the risks are also changing and require new solutions; cooperation among nations demands an understanding of these evolving challenges.”

“Nevertheless, indigenous peoples possess knowledge that we recognise must be better understood, which is why we have launched photography competitions among our members to identify these practices. In India, for instance, we have the tradition of building bridges using tree roots, or of relying on mangroves in coastal and hillside areas to maintain soil stability.

There are also traditional housing practices capable of withstanding flooding. For this reason, our first approach is to consolidate such knowledge through the photography competition, which enables these practices to be shared among our members”.

Medical–Military Assistance in Disaster Zones

During our stay in New Delhi, we also visited the 60th Parachute Field Hospital, an elite medical unit belonging to the Indian Armed Forces and operating under the 50th Parachute Brigade. Through units of this kind, the Indian Army provides humanitarian assistance in disaster‑stricken areas, offering medical care ranging from minor procedures to major surgeries, and delivering medicines to those most in need — for instance, in large‑scale earthquakes such as the one that struck Myanmar in 2025.

Sin embargo, la india no solo apoya a su entorno local, esta unidad de élite, capaz de desplegarse ante una emergencia en solo algunas horas, también viajó a Sudamérica a prestar ayuda humanitaria durante los recientes terremotos en Colombia y Venezuela, ayuda que agradecieron públicamente nuestros colegas de esas latitudes durante la visita. Como explicaron las autoridades presentes, esta unidad y las capacidades de apoyo de India se despliegan a solicitud de los países que lo requieran, respetando los principios de no injerencia internacional.

Editorial Commentary

India’s initiatives reflect a vision of cooperation that goes far beyond positioning itself as an attractive market for commercial exchange. Instead, they embody an understanding that working towards shared objectives is the path to building a long‑term network of relationships capable of sustaining genuine leadership over time. Such initiatives foster both local and global capacities that complement India’s economic potential, enabling the country to emerge as a global leader.

The work of the CDRI, in partnership with multilateral organisations, has succeeded in estimating the value of infrastructure from a financial perspective. However, it is important to remember that cost–benefit methodologies adopt a private‑sector lens and, in many cases, may underestimate broader impacts. In our conversation with Dr Amit Prothi, he acknowledged the limitations inherent in private‑sector approaches and recognised the desirability of incorporating methodologies such as Social Project Evaluation to assess the value of resilience at the societal level.

For this publication, it was a pleasure to witness India’s efforts to build leadership around shared objectives and to see Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) move beyond rhetoric and materialise through concrete actions, both in the work of the CDRI and in India’s humanitarian assistance delivered through its field hospitals.