QII: Advancing Green, Resilient, Inclusive Development

The QII principles in action

About the QII principles

In 2019, the G-20 set forth six voluntary, nonbinding principles that provide a strategic direction for infrastructure investment. The QII Principles build on the consensus that infrastructure is a significant driver of economic prosperity and that well-built and sustainable infrastructure maximizes the positive impacts of these high-priced investments.

The QII Principles:

Maximizing the positive impact of infrastructure to achieve sustainable growth and development
Raising economic efficiency in view of life-cycle cost
Integrating environmental considerations in infrastructure
Building resilience against natural disasters
Integrating social considerations in infrastructure investment
Strengthening infrastructure governance

Applying these principles enables countries to pursue infrastructure investments that maximize the economic, social, environmental, and development impact of infrastructure—the foundation for achieving sustainable, resilient, and inclusive growth.

Principle 1: Maximizing the positive impact of infrastructure

Principle 1 emphasizes maximizing the positive impact of infrastructure to achieve sustainable growth and development. The positive impacts of infrastructure are maximized when infrastructure investments are optimized to both drive short-term recovery and deliver long-term green, resilient, and inclusive development outcomes.

CASE STUDIES
LAO PDR: SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT POWER SECTOR
The Lao PDR Power Grid Improvement project is enabling a state-owned electric utility to distribute power more reliably and efficiently. This supports QII.1 by reducing energy losses, increasing supply reliability, and lowering costs. These measures are key to ensuring the development of residential, commercial, and industrial sectors in the area.
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SENEGAL: A NEW TRANSPORT SYSTEM TO IMPROVE URBAN MOBILITY AND CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
The bus rapid transit (BRT) pilot project supports QII 1 by substantially improving travel conditions in the Greater Dakar Area. It will provide quick, safe, reliable, and less-polluting public transport services to over 320,000 people. The BRT fleet of buses will be financed and operated by a private operator, which will result in better-allocated resources, increased financial capacity, and efficient bus fleet operation.
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TURKEY: BOOSTING PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENTS FOR GEOTHERMAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
With a growing economy that demands increased energy, Turkey is committed to producing more efficient, renewable energy that supports sustainable growth and reduces dependency on imports. The $352.3 million Geothermal Development Project responds to the government’s interest in scaling up private sector investment in the geothermal energy sector. The World Bank is helping to stimulate the Turkish geothermal market to increase its market attractiveness.
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TOYOMA CITY: COMPACT CITY DEVELOPMENT
Toyama City, Japan, is widely recognized as a role model for compact city development. The city took an integrated approach to urban and transport planning, with a focus on its light rail transport system. In this way, the city is realizing the positive impacts of infrastructure in line with QII.1. Benefits of a compact city that maximize development impact included reduced traffic congestion, reduced CO2 emissions, and a more vibrant city center.
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Principle 2: Raising economic efficiency in view of life-cycle cost

Principle 2 identifies the life-cycle cost (LCC) approach as a key tool for balancing the short-term and long-term outcomes of infrastructure investments. The LCC approach to infrastructure investment considers the total costs and benefits of the investment, and associated risks, over its lifetime.

CASE STUDIES

PARAGUAY: STRENGTHENING PARAGUAY’S ENERGY SECTOR
Paraguay is constructing a 500-kilovolt transmission line and associated substations. Its procurement process ensured that transformers were procured for the most economical price throughout their lifecycles, in line with QII.2. The monetary value of power losses was also considered in bidding, leading to a more sustainable and economical procurement decision.
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FUKUOKA CITY: EFFICIENT WATER MANAGEMENT
Fukuoka City is home to numerous cutting-edge industries and start-ups, in part because of a strategy adopted in the 1970s—creating a compact urban core supported by high-quality infrastructure. The city applied QII.2 in managing its water resources—life-cycle costing was the underlying principle in Fukuoka City’s efforts to become a water-conscious city. To achieve this objective, the city made up-front additional investments in infrastructure to reduce operating expenditures and delay future capital expenditures.
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TOYOMA CITY: COMPACT CITY DEVELOPMENT
Toyama City, Japan, is widely recognized as a role model for compact city development. The city took an integrated approach to urban and transport planning, with a focus on its light rail transport system. In reviewing options, the city looked at the costs and benefits for operations over a 30-year period, reflecting the life-cycle cost approach under QII.2.
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REPORTS

INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE IN THE PACIFIC
This study was designed to enhance dialogue around infrastructure asset management in Pacific island countries. It includes an example of life-cycle costing for a road project in Papua New Guinea. It also provides an overview of the importance of maintenance and asset management, explains the underlying reasons for poor asset management, and provides an overview of the benefits of sound asset management and what it should involve.
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VIDEOS

IMPLEMENTING A LIFE-CYCLE COST APPROACH
This video presentation features four speakers from the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and Bangladesh’s Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd. Developed for the QII MOOC, the presenters outline the use of life cycle costing in the procurement of infrastructure projects financed by multilateral development banks.
Link to video

Principle 3: Integrating environmental considerations in infrastructure

QII Principle 3 states that infrastructure decision-making should take the costs and benefits of a project’s environmental impacts into account. All stages of the infrastructure life cycle should promote positive impacts and reduce negative impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, and climate change.

CASE STUDIES

TANZANIA: SCALING UP INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS TO IMPROVE KEY SERVICES AND BOOST THE ECONOMY
In 2015, the government of Tanzania launched the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) to expand the economy and increase the emergency response capacity of the city by improving key urban services and institutional management. Environmental considerations played a major role in the project, in keeping with QII.3. It assessed ecosystem-based interventions in low-income communities to ensure that the construction of urban infrastructure would not harm the environment. Nearly 2 million people in Dar es Salaam will benefit from better roads, facilities, and community upgrades. Read the case

REPORTS

Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development

This strategy report charts out the World Bank's Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development (GRID) approach, which aligns with the QII Principles addressing environmental considerations, resilience, and inclusivity. Download the report

Principle 4: Building resilience against natural disasters

Principle 4 highlights that infrastructure should be resilient against both natural hazards and human-made risks. Cyber security attacks are a category of human-made risks that are of increasing significance in infrastructure sectors.

CASE STUDIES

TANZANIA: SCALING UP INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS TO IMPROVE KEY SERVICES AND BOOST THE ECONOMY
In 2015, the government of Tanzania launched the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) to expand the economy and increase the emergency response capacity of the city by improving key urban services and institutional management. Resilience against natural disasters played an important role in the project, as envisioned in QII.4: The project design aims to control flooding, improve stormwater drainage, and provide assistance to respond to natural or man-made disasters. Nearly 2 million people in Dar es Salaam will benefit from better roads, facilities, and community upgrades. Read the case

REPORTS

Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development

BOOKS

ENHANCING THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE OF AFRICA'S INFRASTRUCTURE: THE POWER AND WATER SECTORS
If left unchecked, climate change could potentially overwhelm existing development efforts. Nowhere is this more important than in Sub-Saharan Africa. The good news is that Africa has the ability to manage the effects of climate change and build resilience. This book evaluates the impacts of climate change on hydropower and irrigation expansion plans in Africa’s main river basins and outlines an approach to reducing climate risks through suitable adjustments to the planning and design process—essential elements of QII.4. This book is a co-publication of the Agence Française de Développement and the World Bank. Download the book

Principle 5: Integrating social considerations in infrastructure investment

Principle 5 calls for providing access to infrastructure services in an inclusive manner to all groups, including women, indigenous peoples, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people, and other disadvantaged groups. For example, all workers should have equal opportunity to access jobs created by infrastructure investments, develop skills, be able to work in safe and healthy conditions, be compensated and treated fairly, with dignity and without discrimination.

CASE STUDIES

LAO PDR: SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT POWER SECTOR
The Lao PDR Power Grid Improvement project is enabling a state-owned electric utility to distribute power more reliably and efficiently. It boosts inclusiveness, a key element of QII.5, by providing a more reliable supply of electricity to residents in the Xaythany district of Vientiane—especially the poor. Read the case

MEXICO: REDUCING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN THROUGH INTERVENTIONS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Public transport is often the only way for girls and women to get to work, school, and healthcare services in developing countries. Safety can be a major concern, a social issue considered under QII.5. Experience suggests the most effective way to tackle violence against women and girls in public transport is through a holistic approach using technology, effective response protocols, and awareness-raising. The World Bank, in line with sustainable development goal 5 on gender equality and G20 QII principles, is looking to enhance and implement these solutions across its transport projects in Latin American cities with this 2016 pilot strategy in Mexico City leading the way. Read the case

SENEGAL: A NEW TRANSPORT SYSTEM TO IMPROVE URBAN MOBILITY AND CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
A Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) pilot project will substantially improve travel conditions in the Greater Dakar Area by providing quick, safe, reliable, and less-polluting public transport services to over 320,000 people. Inclusivity is an essential element of the project—a hallmark of QII.5. Stakeholders and beneficiaries, particularly women, were consulted and involved in decision-making to identify social risk and propose mitigation measures. The project aims to reflect gender empowerment and equal opportunities in a system that historically has been managed by men. Read the case

REPORTS

Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development

Principle 6: Strengthening infrastructure governance

Principle 6 highlights the importance of infrastructure governance to ensure appropriate and transparent decisions are made, particularly when applying the life-cycle cost approach and balancing the short-term and long-term outcomes.

CASE STUDIES

DRC: EXPANDING ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY AND SERVICES
In the Democratic Republic of Congo's recently liberalized power sector, scaling up access to electricity relies heavily on the capacity of the government to properly oversee its expansion. Through the Electricity Access and Service Expansion project, the World Bank supports DRC’s efforts to improve infrastructure governance—a priority under QII.6—by building the capacity of key power institutions as well as institutional and regulatory strengthening. This is a crucial step to support DRC’s goal to provide electricity to 26.5 million households by 2030.
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JORDAN: ADDRESSING FISCAL COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCY LIABILITY MANAGEMENT FOR PPP PROJECTS
Since 2017, the World Bank has supported Jordan’s government to strengthen its public investment management and its public-private partnership (PPP) program. The World Bank Group provided technical support to help meet the requirements of the new PPP law and drafted operational guidelines that allow the government to assess and manage fiscal commitments and contingent liabilities. This supports QII.6 by allowing for better governbance of Jordan's PPP program.
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FUKUOKA CITY: EFFICIENT WATER MANAGEMENT
Fukuoka City is home to numerous cutting-edge industries and start-ups, in part because of a strategy adopted in the 1970s—creating a compact urban core supported by high-quality infrastructure. The use of comprehensive evaluations by the city supports better infrastructure governance, in line with QII.6—Fukuoka City regularly performs post-evaluations on public works from the viewpoint of quality and delivery. As a result, the city has seen an overall improvement in performance in public works.
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TOYOMA CITY: COMPACT CITY DEVELOPMENT
Toyama City, Japan is widely recognized as a role model for compact city development. The city took an integrated approach to urban and transport planning, with a focus on its light rail transport system. Effective governance, starting with a vision and clear objectives, was essential for Toyama City’s successful transformation into a compact city. The city also adopted an organizational structure that allowed it to tackle challenges more effectively, reflecting the governance priorities of QII.6.
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