Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation

Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB) is an independent, not-for-profit foundation under Swiss law active in the field of sustainable urban infrastructure.^[1] The CEO of GIB is Louis Downing.^[2]

Activities

GIB supports various stakeholders such as governments, banks, and cities, in the designing, implementing, and financing of infrastructure projects at all stages of the project cycle.^[3] Currently, the foundation particularly works on:

• The SuRe Standard – The Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure:^[4] a global voluntary ISEAL standard,^[5] developed in cooperation with the French bank Natixis that integrates key criteria of sustainability and resilience into infrastructure development and upgrade;^[6]
• a Resilience and Sustainability Credit Rating;^[7]
• Capacity building services to enable infrastructure developers, financiers, and public sector actors to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to create green infrastructure;^[8] and
• consultancy and tailored services to municipalities and their stakeholders.^[9]

GIB also organizes the GIB Sustainable Infrastructure Summit and is regularly asked to provide input at sustainable infrastructure events.^[10]

GIB has also developed the SmartScan, an infrastructure self- assessment tool that provides a rapid assessment of an infrastructure project against sustainability and resilience criteria covering Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues.^[11]

Publications

GIB and UNEP Inquiry have partnered to publish the often-cited working paper "Sustainable Infrastructure and Finance" (published 2016).^[12] In August 2016, GIB and the UN Global Compact Cities Programme signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a view to developing synergies and collaboration as well as sharing knowledge and expertise on a range of topics.^[13]

Organisational affiliations

GIB is supported by the Swiss Government^[14] and many other partners,^[15] such as WWF, ICLEI and the European Investment Bank. GIB is an Observer of the Green Bond Principles.^[16] Since 2016, GIB is member of the Steering Committee of the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA), which was launched at the United Nations Secretary-General's Climate Summit in September 2014.^[17]