Blue Dot Network participants – from the public, private and civil society sectors – believe in building and financing quality infrastructure projects. The Blue Dot Network aims to promote quality infrastructure investment that is open and inclusive, transparent, economically viable, Paris Agreement aligned, financially, environmentally and socially sustainable, and compliant with international standards, laws and regulations. To accomplish this, the Blue Dot Network will certify infrastructure projects against robust criteria and standards. The Blue Dot Network governing body will regularly review developments in standards to ensure inclusion of the foremost, robust, international standards.
Vision Statement
What is the Blue Dot Network?
Why do we need the Blue Dot Network?
How will the Blue Dot Network operate?
Frequently Asked Questions
Vision Statement
- Blue Dot Network participants believe in supporting, building, and financing quality infrastructure projects. Read the Vision Statement.
What is the Blue Dot Network?
- The Blue Dot Network is a mechanism to certify infrastructure projects that meet robust international quality standards. The United States, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Spain launched the Blue Dot Network as a multilateral effort to promote principles of sustainable infrastructure development around the world.
Why do we need the Blue Dot Network?
- The Global Infrastructure Hub estimates there will be a $15 trillion shortfall in global infrastructure financing by 2040. While public sector funding will continue to be important for infrastructure development, the mobilization of greater private sector investment will be critical to achieve global infrastructure investment goals effectively and efficiently.
- The Blue Dot Network helps close this sizable infrastructure gap by helping attract investment from the private sector, while also improving national policies, benefitting local communities, and promoting transparent, climate-smart, sustainable, and responsible investment.
How will the Blue Dot Network operate?
- The Blue Dot Network uses as its foundation robust infrastructure principles, standards, and best practices. The Blue Dot Network will audit and certify quality infrastructure projects that adhere to or go beyond these standards.
- The United States, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom are working with the OECD to develop a methodology and metrics for certification of infrastructure projects based on these principles. For more information, please visit https://www.oecd.org/corporate/oecd-and-the-blue-dot-network.htm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What other countries or partners have joined the Blue Dot Network?
- Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) joined the United States in launching the Blue Dot Network concept. The United Kingdom joined the Blue Dot Network Steering Committee in April 2023, and Spain joined in May, 2023.
Can any country join?
- Blue Dot Network is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together governments, the private sector, and civil society to encourage adoption of trusted standards for quality, global infrastructure development in an open and inclusive framework. It does not exclude any country from supporting the Blue Dot Network’s mission of promoting quality, market-driven, and private-sector led investment. The Blue Dot Network Steering Committee encourages all countries that share its vision of sustainable, quality infrastructure to consider joining the initiative. Interested governments can contact us at BlueDotNetwork@state.gov.
What are the benefits of the Blue Dot Network for developing countries?
- Countries that implement Blue Dot Network-certified projects can attract greater investment by building investor confidence in the quality of the project. Certified projects will embody transparency and openness, mitigating certain financing risks. Blue Dot Network certification will also reassure local communities that infrastructure projects comply with environmental and social safeguards and are aligned with climate goals.
Will Blue Dot Network partner countries only work with Blue Dot certified projects?
- Blue Dot Network partner countries can work with any projects that meet their needs and national interests. Partner countries have committed to upholding quality infrastructure standards and may prefer Blue Dot Network certified projects, but at times those projects may not meet the needs of the country.
How can the Blue Dot Network help address the climate crisis and advance the Paris Agreement?
- Blue Dot Network will play a critical role in mobilizing and aligning infrastructure investment into projects that build resilience to climate change and are aligned with the pathways towards 2050 net-zero emissions needed to keep global temperature change of 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. By taking a longer-term investment perspective and incorporating costs and benefits accrued over the entire infrastructure lifecycle, the Blue Dot Network will help host countries and investors realize the financial, economic, environmental, and social benefits of climate-smart infrastructure compared to alternatives that may appear cheaper in terms of up-front cost.
Contact BDN at BlueDotNetwork@state.gov