In most developed countries, the quality of infrastructure, especially transport, energy, and communication is below average. Governments have, however, fallen short in allocating public resources towards capital-intensive infrastructure projects, including resources needed to sustainably manage existing infrastructure assets over their entire lifespan.
COVID-19 made things worse by reversing years of progress on the SDGs but also revealed critical infrastructure gaps, for example in healthcare and digital connectivity.
Infrastructure Asset Management (IAM) can improve the capacity of local and national governments to undertake sustainable, inclusive development. IAM entails a systematic approach to managing assets – over entire life cycles and within a broader asset portfolio. It ensures that initial public investments in infrastructure are not wasted and that they adequately serve communities for generations to come.
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) are implementing a comprehensive programme of capacity development activities for local and central governments across the globe to maximize the service value of public infrastructure investments and leverage them to finance sustainable development for generations to come.
You can find resources, training modules and country examples in the project webpage
and read the third edition of the UN IAM newsletter here
