About the Centre of Expertise
The Centre of Expertise delivered support to low- and middle-income countries seeking to accelerate the development of sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure. It drew on expertise and capabilities from the UK government, private sector, public agencies, NGOs, academia and business.
Areas of work
Focusing on economic infrastructure (transport and mobility, energy, water, waste management, and land use), the Centre of Expertise offered technical support to governments across the following areas:
Infrastructure planning, governance and finance
Project preparation including (pre) feasibility studies and impact assessments
Cross-border trade infrastructure
Urban planning and municipal finance
Policy development and regulatory reform
Technology solutions and digital/data strategy development
The UK Expertise Offer
The UK Expertise Offer (UKEO) was created to respond to demand for operational tools and solutions that enhance the quality of urban planning and resilient infrastructure delivery in developing countries. To this end, the UKEO developed and refined UK best practice tools and methodologies, offering practical solutions to the unmet needs of our partner governments. This work was undertaken in concert with leading academics, government officials, practitioners and FCDO partners including the Department for Business and Trade, the Connected Places Catapult, Transport for London, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, Crossrail International and Oxford Global Projects.
Our principles
Green
We were committed to supporting governments to accelerate their transition to net zero through both adaptation and mitigation projects. This included adaptation and mitigation measures that supported the planning and delivery of resilient infrastructure systems and enhanced connectivity within cities.
Resilient
We supported our partner countries to bolster their resilience to natural hazards including urban floods, heat waves, sea level rise and urban population growth. This included nature-based solutions and measures that support governments to prepare for and respond to climate change impacts.
Integrated
We focused on delivering projects that enhanced the quality and resilience of infrastructure and urban systems rather than single infrastructure assets. Generally, we avoided providing support to projects that did not form part of a wider infrastructure development plan or system.
Inclusive
We ensured that women and vulnerable groups (children, people with disabilities, informal workers and low-income communities) had the opportunity to benefit from the projects we supported, recognising that their inclusion in the early stages of an urban infrastructure project is essential to maximising development impacts.