PM calls for action on disaster resilience in Paris Conference

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday outlined five urgent global priorities for building disaster-resilient infrastructure, calling for a collective push to safeguard vulnerable regions, especially coastal and island nations, from the intensifying impacts of climate change.Speaking at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, 2025 - held for the first time in Europe - Modi said the world must "build infrastructure that stands firm against time and tide". He praised France and its president, Emmanuel Macron, for hosting the event and noted the significance of the upcoming UN Oceans Conference.Five key global imperatives listed by Modi were integrating disaster resilience into education and skill programmes; creating a global digital repository of best practices; innovating disaster financing for developing nations; treating Small Island Developing States as 'Large Ocean Countries' deserving special attention; and strengthening early warning systems with better coordination and last-mile communication.Framing his speech around recent devastating cyclones and typhoons across Asia, Africa, and the Americas, Modi emphasised that building resilience is no longer optional. He recalled India's own painful experience during the 1999 super-cyclone and the 2004 tsunami, and highlighted how the country responded by investing in resilient shelters and a tsunami warning system that now benefits 29 countries.