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Children are affected significantly by the trauma caused during disasters, often for long periods of time, including decades.

Dates: 16 – 20 October 2023 Get ready for a gathering of top industry professionals at the World Association of PPP Units & Professionals’ Annual Forum, the pinnacle event in the world of public-private partnerships. This year, we are bringing the forum in Abu Dhabi, during the World Investment Forum, organized by our institutional partner the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The WAPPP Abu Dhabi PPP Forum will host international experts from within the WAPPP global network of PPP practitioners, United Nations organizations, national governments, and international development financial institutions. It will also host investors, lenders, infrastructure companies, businesses, manufacturers and other “for impact” organizations. To register click here Take a peep inside the series!

By David Dodd, Founder ISRC Coastal communities around the world are confronting a mounting crisis as they grapple with the multifaceted challenges of climate change. From rising sea levels to severe storms, these communities are bearing the brunt of climate impacts, with devastating consequences, particularly for the most vulnerable among them. The compounding nature of climate consequences exacerbates the risks faced by coastal populations. As global temperatures continue to rise, coupled with environmental degradation and recurring disasters, coastal communities are finding themselves with diminishing room for successful development and adaptation. What role do rising sea levels play? Rising sea levels are a pressing concern. Driven by the thermal expansion of warming waters and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, sea levels have been on the ascent for decades. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sea levels rose by 0.20 meters between 1901 and 2018, with an acceleration observed since the late 1960s. Future projections vary depending on greenhouse gas emissions, but even in the most optimistic scenarios, substantial sea-level rise is expected. The long-term implications of rising seas are dire. Low-lying coastal regions, including many major cities, face inundation. A significant portion of the population resides in areas barely above sea level, leaving them vulnerable to flooding. Population growth and urbanization exacerbate the problem, with millions at risk, particularly in Africa and southern Asia. What contributes to flood risks? The immediate threat is the intensification of coastal floods due to rising seas. High-tide flooding events have become more frequent, with the IPCC warning of a continued increase in coastal floods throughout this century. Without adaptation measures, flood risks to coastal communities will rise significantly. Compounding the flood risk are increasingly severe storms and cyclones. While the overall frequency of tropical cyclones remains uncertain, there is evidence that the proportion of severe Category 3-5 cyclones has increased. Additionally, heavy precipitation associated with these storms has intensified due to human-induced climate change. Bangladesh is a low-lying coastal area at risk One of the most vulnerable regions is Bangladesh, where ISRC Chief PPP Advisor David Baxter has been working to structure Public Private Partnerships to combat their coastal crisis. A vast low-lying coastal area is home to millions. Violent storms and cyclones regularly batter this area, causing tidal surges, floods, and extensive damage. Coastal floods have already displaced many, and the situation is worsening. Sea-level rise, coupled with the monsoon climate and shifting rivers, exacerbates the risk. Compounding these threats is, as in many countries, a history of widespread development in vulnerable areas without needed mitigation measures or investments. To combat this crisis, a series of investments to raise both natural and man-made barriers to storm surge and intense rainfall, plus enhancements to infrastructure resilience to effects of saltwater intrusion. How to we adapt to these challenges? Adapting to these challenges is immensely challenging. Vulnerable spots in the existing system, such as evacuation difficulties for women, the elderly, and disabled individuals, are being exposed. Cyclone shelters provide safety, but they do not prevent the loss of homes and livelihoods. Displaced people often end up in urban slums, trapped in cycles of poverty. Unless significant action is taken, millions in Bangladesh and other coastal regions worldwide. face displacement. Rising seas and extreme weather events present hard limits to adaptation. To combat these risks, major investments in both built and nature-based resilience are essential. Communities need support in strengthening infrastructure, livelihood improvement, education, early warning systems, and risk transfer measures such as catastrophe bonds, which are triggered to pay upon specific disaster size and intensity are met. Successful adaptation must be locally led, recognizing the unique challenges faced by different communities. What are some solutions? Impact modeling to provide an internal rate of return on investments in coastal protection and restoration, such as the International Sustainable Resilience Center (ISRC) Climate Impact Toolbox, can attract critical private investment. Also critical is the development of professional skills needed to successfully lead coastal adaptation worldwide. ISRC is working with two Universities in Louisiana, a state plagued by massive wetland loss due to climate, to establish a certificate program that can build the coastal adaptation leadership so desperately needed worldwide. In conclusion, coastal communities worldwide are confronting compounding climate risks that threaten their very existence. Urgent global action is needed to reduce emissions, support adaptation, and prevent displacement, ensuring that no one is left behind in the face of the escalating climate crisis. The Tufts: A Children’s Series On Natural Disaster Resilience Empower Kids with Vital Disaster Survival Skills and Ease Climate Anxiety with ‘The Tufts’ Book Series Explore the Book Series

By David Baxter, Chief PPP Advisor The Washington Post reports that at least five large U.S. property insurers including Allstate, American Family Insurance, Nationwide, Erie Insurance Group and Berkshire Hathaway — have told regulators that extreme weather patterns caused by climate change have led them to stop writing coverages in some regions, exclude protections from various weather events and raise monthly premiums and deductibles. U.S. insurers have disbursed $295.8 billion in natural disaster claims over the past three years, according to international risk management firm Aon. That’s a record for a three-year period, according to the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. The resulting escalation in insurance claims is causing a major shakeup in the insurance industry. The reason for this is simple – insurance companies are in the business of pricing to risk and it is becoming increasingly evident that insurer’s prices are increasingly unable to match risks.” It is further reported that major insurers say they will cut out damage caused by hurricanes, wind and hail from policies underwriting property along coastlines and in wildfire country, according to a voluntary survey conducted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Commissioners, a group of state officials who regulate rates and policy forms. Unfortunately, it is reported that insurance providers are also more willing to drop existing policies in some locales as they become more vulnerable to natural disasters. They are allowed to do this as most home insurance coverages are annual terms, so providers are not bound to them for more than one year. The consequence of this is that individuals and families in places once considered safe from natural catastrophes could lose crucial insurance protections while their natural disaster exposure expands or intensifies as global temperatures rise. This insurance trend will also have consequences for infrastructure and property developers, especially projects considered for PPPs. The only way to mitigate risk and lower risk insurance exposure is to introduce new strategies, policies, and guidance that embrace sustainability and resilience. Should you wish to know more about how to mitigate property risk, feel free to reach out to us at the International Sustainable Resilience Center. The Tufts: A Children’s Series On Natural Disaster Resilience Empower Kids with Vital Disaster Survival Skills and Ease Climate Anxiety with ‘The Tufts’ Book Series Explore the Book Series

This is a summary of a publication by David Baxter, Chief PPP Advisor to ISRC 1. It is important that PPP stakeholders understand what the project’s desired outcomes are, and clearly articulate them in their contracts.  Any confusion or ambiguity surrounding outcomes will result in contractual disconnects that will threaten the sustainability of contracts. 2. Sustainable PPP contracts require a high level of sensitivity to both partners expectations and mandates. Full disclosure of all issues pertaining to a project should be a fundamental best practice to ensure that there are no project surprises that could lead to project stressors. 3. It is important to build trust through the relationship and focus on solutions that address issues as soon as they surface. Project sustainability is strengthened through collaborative actions that ensure that the interests of both parties are protected. 4. Traditionally project proponents have focused heavily on value for money (VfM) assessments.  Unfortunately, the implementation of VfM assessments has become rather stagnant and does not fully address the dynamic context of multi-year PPP contracts. Recently the concepts of “value for people” and “value for the future” have introduced novel levels of assessment that account for impacts to communities and future proofing of projects. As these sustainability concepts evolve, they should also be included in considerations for sustainable PPP contracts. It must be pointed out that sustainable contracts can only be drafted if projects are sustainable.  These two considerations are inseparable.  5. The World Bank states that once a government decides to implement a PPP, tools should be adopted that can help structure a sustainable project. The World Bank also stresses that risk allocation, design contractual provisions, fiscal risk assessment, and stakeholder consultations should be conducted. Only then will governments be able to design efficient and sustainable PPPs. Tools that can be used to achieve sustainable contracts include the following: World Bank – Guidance on PPP Contractual Provisions (2019) – https://library.pppknowledgelab.org/documents/5749/download Global Infrastructure Hub – Allocating Risks in Public-Private Partnership Contracts – https://ppp-risk.gihub.org/ World Bank – A Framework for Disclosure in Public-Private Partnerships – https://library.pppknowledgelab.org/documents/5395/download 6. Sustainable contracts require a two-way negotiation by all parties that acknowledge the sustainability realities of the project and are focused on a balanced common interest. 7. It is important that the following best practices are implemented: Maximizing the potential of projects through careful planning and sharing of expectations Ensuring that physical and economic constraints are fully integrated with the regulatory environment Understanding how project demand can change and how change can impact the sustainability of projects Developing a programmatic approach to projects that is replicable Developing very clear roles for both public and private sector participants in projects.   The Tufts: A Children’s Series On Natural Disaster Resilience Empower Kids with Vital Disaster Survival Skills and Ease Climate Anxiety with ‘The Tufts’ Book Series Explore the Book Series

Nature-based Solutions are cost-effective solutions that provide benefits to the environment, economies, and communities. they can reduce the impact of disasters they can increase the resilience of people, assets and ecosystems they can support communities to adapt to a changing climate. How PPPs can benefit from Nature Based Solutions Nature-based Solutions explore innovative implementation methods to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems – and are a fundamental tool for building better PPPs. By leveraging the natural environment to protect vulnerable PPP infrastructure, we can mitigate risk which is a core focus of PPP implementation. Instead of building massive man-made “protective’ infrastructure to protect communities, it is time that Nature Based Solutions are implemented and leveraged to protect the physical fabric of PPPs. How can PPPs finance a Nature Based Solution? PPPs can provide a vehicle to finance and scale up the implementation of Nature Based Solutions and promote the integration of Nature Based Solutions to enhance resilience of infrastructure at project identification. A strong financial case can be made that integrating Nature Based Solutions into the structuring of PPPs can help build project resilience and add to CapEx and OpEx savings over the full lifecycle of projects being planned. Saving money in the long-term will always be attractive to investors and politicians. How can PPPs encourage Nature Based Solutions? PPPs can provide an innovative vehicle to scale up development of critically needed resilient projects. Nature Based Solutions can be incorporated into planning, development and policy strategies. What are the types of Nature Based Solutions? Low human intervention This type consists of no or minimal intervention in ecosystems. Examples include:– the protection of mangroves in coastal areas to limit risks associated to extreme weather conditions and to provide benefits and opportunities to local populations – the establishment of marine protected areas to conserve biodiversity within these areas while exporting biomass into fishing grounds Medium human intervention This type of Nature-based Solution is strongly connected to concepts like natural systems agriculture, agro-ecology, and evolutionary-orientated forestry. Examples include:– innovative planning of agricultural landscapes to increase their multifunctionality– enhancing tree species and genetic diversity to increase forest resilience to extreme events. High human intervention This type consists of managing ecosystems in very intrusive ways or even creating new ecosystems  Examples include:– green and blue infrastructures– restoration of heavily degraded or polluted areas. The Tufts: A Children’s Series On Natural Disaster Resilience Empower Kids with Vital Disaster Survival Skills and Ease Climate Anxiety with ‘The Tufts’ Book Series Explore the Book Series

ISRC has partnered with uLand to create entertaining and accessible books for children and families to build up skills in disaster preparation, survival, and adaptation. “Children are drawn to narrative driven content, and they love stories, so we developed a series of books for children where kids learn while being entertained,” Tanya Ellen, Founder of uLand said. In June 2023, children in Summer camps around Louisiana, were given the books to read and the response was overwhelmingly positive from children and their teachers. “A lot of times we don’t want to talk about or deal with natural disasters, so this is a great way to reach children. The stories are a safe way to connect with kids,” said Melissa Sagrera, an elementary school teacher at Jefferson Parish School, Louisiana. “Today, children will experience three times as many natural disasters in their lifetime compared to their grandparents. This is problematic, considering research has consistently shown that following a disaster, kids suffer massive stress and trauma. So, we must do something,” David Dodd, CEO of The International Sustainable Resilience Center said. The Tufts is a Disaster Survival Series for children aged 4-12 which introduces young readers to natural disasters and offers advice on how to stay safe and cope when adverse events happen. This accessible, illustrated, and entertaining series can be used as a tool to open conversations in the family on what to do in a disaster. Take a peep inside the series! Buy on Amazon