From severe flooding in South Asia, record-breaking hurricanes in the Caribbean and violent earthquakes in Mexico, to heavy rain and landslides in Sierra Leone – recent disasters have left a trail of devastation across the globe. With more infrastructure likely to be built in the next 20 years than the last two millennia, leaders from the private sector and policy makers will gather on the International Day for Disaster Reduction to explore how we can make these investments more resilient. Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group, will deliver a keynote address. This event is hosted by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery GFDRR), and is part of the ongoing Resilience Dialogue series, which promotes awareness and action for building resilience.

During the World Bank IMF Annual Meetings an array of leaders expressed strong support and optimism for the Belt and Road initiative, launched by China’s President Xi Jinping in 2013 and described as the largest infrastructure project in history. The BBC’s Tanya Beckett moderated the discussion which focused on the benefits of the massive, multiyear mission to connect 65 countries across the Eurasian continent through improved infrastructure, lower trade barriers, financial cooperation and improved social cohesion to name some. The benefits of multilateral cooperation through the project was a theme echoed by all panelists. World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said the world needs multilateral approaches like the Belt and Road. He said the initiative has the potential to spur economic growth and urged the need for policy  reforms in order for countries to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the initiative. The Bank Group – including all its institutions – is supporting the Belt and Road Initiative and ...