The Resilient Infrastructure Forum (RIF) for Latin America, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico is taking place in Bogota, Colombia on the 4th – 6th June 2019, with the annual theme Towards A Safer Urban Future. Following on the success of last year, RIF is a critical event to attend if you are involved in the infrastructure sector within Latin America, the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico. The forum brings together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors to create a coordinated long-term strategy to combat the challenges faced by this territory and its vulnerability to natural disasters, including hurricanes, tropical storms, floods and droughts, heatwaves, volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, tsunami and sea level rise.

 

Tragically, this region experiences extremely vulnerable geography due to El Niño and La Niña climate patterns as well as tectonic plate boundaries causing geological hazards, exasperated by the highest rate of urbanisation globally. It is more cost effective, both economically and in terms of life damages, to invest in resilient infrastructure to mitigate the negative effects of disasters, than to pay for damage to unprepared communities caused by natural disasters and long-term climate change. Aimed to supplement the well-established GRV Global event ‘Action on Disaster Relief’ (LINK) which focuses on the critical aid and emergency response to catastrophes within the region, RIF looks at the critical longer term needs. Specifically focussing on “Preparation” for disasters in infrastructure development before they occur, and “Rehabilitation & Rebuilding" in disaster affected territory. 

Over the two day Forum, plans, projects and investment opportunities will be presented with the aim to incorporate resilience, durability and sustainability into the key sectors of infrastructure. The attending officials, ministers, agencies, developers and financiers will host a series of pre-scheduled, one-to-one business meetings with attending commercial organisations who have relevant capabilities to take on these projects. Supported by technology showcase and exhibition, informal networking opportunities and capacity building sessions, RIF is a primary contracting platform for the infrastructure sector within Latin America, the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico.