New Delhi, July 11, 2022 – The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) Government Council today announced Amit Prothi’s appointment as its new Director General. Prothi, a seasoned strategist and leader in urban resilience, including environmental planning, natural resource management, disaster risk reduction, housing, and community development, will assume the new role from July 12, 2022. Recently recognized and granted the status of an ‘International Organization’ by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CDRI is an expanding coalition of 39 members, including 31 countries, six multilateral organizations, and two private sector organizations.
India and the United States are the current co-chairs of the CDRI Governing Council, represented by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, Dr. P. K. Mishra, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power. As co-chairs of the CDRI Governing Council, India and the United States are putting their full weight behind CDRI as a cornerstone of efforts to build climate and disaster resilient infrastructure around the world.
“I’m delighted to accept this role at a time when CDRI continues to build on its projects and programmes, especially now that it has been categorized as an International Organization,” said Amit Prothi, Director General, CDRI. I am excited to work with our members and partners as we continue to protect vulnerable communities from climate change and deliver sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems.”
Prothi brings a wealth of international experience and expertise on climate and disaster resilience issues. He is an international expert with nearly 25 years of progressive leadership in the fields of urban planning and resilient infrastructure, with experience across more than 15 countries in North America, Asia and Europe. He has managed multidisciplinary teams on thematic topics that relate to climate change mitigation and adaptation including environmental planning, urban policy, land use and transportation planning, natural resource management, flood management, disaster resilient infrastructure, housing, and community development.
Recently, at the Atlantic Council’s Arsht Rock Resilience Centre and previously at the Resilient Cities Network (and its predecessor 100ResilientCities), he engaged directly with cities, national governments, private sector partners, funders and technical experts to mainstream understanding of resilience and sustainability in development priorities.
Prothi has a Bachelors in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, and a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has also pursued doctoral studies (focusing on urban water resource management) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.