New strategy of the IDB seeks to introduce a new concept of infrastructure and to promote services that advance inclusive and sustainable growth
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) started on April 25th the first phase of public consultations on the development of its new “Infrastructure Strategy for Competitiveness”. The goal of the public consultation process is to receive feedback and comments on the priority areas of the of the strategy’s profile from key stakeholders such as governments, private sector organisms, civil society, policy makers, and experts to enrich the strategy’s content and design.
The objective of this new strategy is to guide future Bank’s work in support of the countries of the region in their adoption of a new concept of infrastructure. According to this concept, infrastructure should be planned, built, and maintained in order to support the provision of quality services that promote sustainable and inclusive growth. This new vision of infrastructure rests on the key pillars of environmental, social, and fiscal sustainability, and it recognizes the need to expand comprehensive multi-sector approaches.
This strategy proposes that the IDB should continue to provide financing and technical assistance to ensure that infrastructure helps enhance competitiveness, provides access, and foster regional integration, while maximizing opportunities for private financing to close existing gaps. Projects will be designed and implemented based on the concept of infrastructure as an asset that must be managed and maintained in an effective manner, while making use of cross-sector synergies and responding to the growing demand for socially and environmentally sustainable infrastructure.
The consultative process will be carried out in two phases: the first one will focus on the strategy’s profile, which lays out its basic concepts and key elements. The second phase, which will be based on the draft of the full strategy, will include inputs received during the first phase upon review and approval by relevant Bank authorities.
To participate in the development of the strategy’s draft profile, visit the consultation’s web page, read the Infrastructure Strategy for Competitiveness Profile, and complete our on-line survey. You can also send your comments and ideas at BIDinfraestructura@iadb.org. The consultation will stay open until May 24th 2013, 8:00 p.m. (Washington, DC time).