Why is this important?

Infrastructure impacts citizens and communities. It is important to ensure that planning and development of infrastructure is inclusive and responds to the needs of citizens and communities. Without well-managed participatory processes, good projects may falter due to public opposition and significant delays in implementation. Transparent, systematic and effective citizen and stakeholder participation in infrastructure planning and delivery can also help countries achieve better infrastructure outcomes and address long-term challenges such as climate change, and promote minority inclusion, gender equality and biodiversity protection. This entails proactively informing, consulting, and engaging with stakeholders through the infrastructure life cycle to ensure that infrastructure planning and investments are informed by an understanding of the needs of citizens and communities.