Governing change: Breaking down siloes to plan and finance infrastructure for the future

The United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/9 encourages UN member states to collect, share, and implement best practice, tools, and experiences for improving the sustainability of infrastructure systems.

In the realm of infrastructure planning and financing, sustainable and resilient outcomes cannot be fully achieved without breaking down siloes and securing buy-in across government and other influential stakeholders including planners, designers, and financiers.

There are many tools and case studies on how to support good governance in infrastructure planning, particularly when it comes to financing and delivering sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects. That said, changing how infrastructure is governed in practice is not always straightforward. This is due to country-level differences (such as governance systems, politics, and geography), ways of working, and a disconnect in how infrastructure is planned, financed, and delivered.

At this event, co-organised by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the ICE-led Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) Programme, attendees will hear from senior government officials from around the world who have been able to shift how they governed more sustainable infrastructure.

Speakers will outline how countries have encouraged cooperation in infrastructure planning by breaking down silos and bringing in a wide range of stakeholders — such as ministries of finance and sectoral line ministries—to promote the setting up of bankable infrastructure projects.

During the event, speakers will reflect on the following key questions:

• How were siloes broken down across the infrastructure system, and what were the direct and indirect benefits for delivering on infrastructure needs?
• How are the realities of financing and investing in sustainable infrastructure incorporated into the planning process?
• How easy was it to identify which changes needed to be made across multiple government departments and other influential stakeholders, and how did you overcome any challenges?
• Which lessons can share with other countries wanting to break down siloes in how infrastructure is planned and delivered?

International guidance, such as UNEP’s International Good Practice Principles for Sustainable Infrastructure and ICE’s EBI principles, will be used to explore how tools shape infrastructure governance in different parts of the world.