As extreme weather events become more frequent, trade routes shift, and ageing infrastructure strains under rising demand, the cost of inaction on resilience is mounting. Resilient transport is no longer optional - it is essential for economic stability and long-term system resilience. Yet funding resilience remains challenging due to competing priorities, institutional inertia, and risk-averse financing.
This plenary will explore why resilience must be central to transport investment. Beyond protecting assets, resilient systems boost productivity, safeguard connectivity, and reduce long-term risks, including against cyber attacks. This session will highlight how inclusive, forward-looking strategies - co-developed with financial actors and enabled by digitalisation and modernisation - can help countries navigate uncertainty while advancing resilient transport for all.
• What are the economic and social costs of delaying investment in resilient transport?
• Why is funding resilience challenging in practice, and how can we overcome key institutional, financial, and political barriers?
• How can resilience funding frameworks promote for long-term prosperity?
• What governance frameworks are needed to shift from reactive to proactive, system-wide resilience?
