Bureau Veritas, a major player in testing and certification, has teamed up with the International Finance Corporation’s Building Resilience Index (BRI) to help ensure buildings worldwide can better withstand natural disasters. With this new agreement, Bureau Veritas will take on the role of global verifier for BRI, focusing first on key regions in Latin America, Africa, and East Asia and the Pacific.
The BRI, developed by International Finance Corporation (IFC), gives developers, governments, and investors a practical, web-based way to spot risks from severe weather, earthquakes, fires, and other hazards—and to show how prepared their buildings really are. With Bureau Veritas onboard, more users can now benefit from reliable, third-party checks that prove their construction is up to the challenge, which is especially important in areas facing frequent climate extremes.
Marc Roussel, who leads Urbanization and Assurance at Bureau Veritas, said the company’s global network of experts will bring much-needed trust to the BRI.
“As climate events intensify, integrating resilience into assets is critical,” he said. “This partnership means developers and owners can rely on third-party verification to gauge vulnerability and see which adaptation measures work.”
The need for independent, credible assessment is growing fast as floods, cyclones, heatwaves, and earthquakes threaten business operations, jobs, and access to insurance.
“Businesses need to know if their assets will hold up,” explained Diep Nguyen-van Houtte, IFC’s Senior Manager of Climate Business. “This partnership opens the door to better, externally verified data so companies and communities in high-risk areas can plan and invest more safely.”
By adding Bureau Veritas as a global verifier, the BRI helps communities spot threats early, protect jobs, and boost trust by making results public. The initiative also helps trigger better financing by enabling insurers and investors to gauge risk more clearly. Started with backing from the Australian Government and several global partners, the BRI aims to make climate adaptation practical and accessible for everyone.
