El Salvador to reduce vulnerability of slums to natural disasters with help from the IDB

IDB.News Releases.Nov 21, 2011. $50 million loan will also finance expanded basic services and social programs in San Salvador neighborhoods. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a loan for $50 million to El Salvador for a project to reduce the vulnerability of residents in slums in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area (AMSS, for its initials in Spanish) to floods and landslides, and improve their living conditions.

The capital region has 514 settlements with poor access to adequate sanitation, drinking water, or electricity. Of these, 93 are highly vulnerable to floods or landslides because houses have been built on river banks and steep hillsides.

The IDB-funded program, which will be carried out by the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, will invest in infrastructure to mitigate those risks and improve access to basic services.

"The program also includes improvements in social services to provide greater access to health and early childhood development and, where necessary, facilitate the relocation of families to less vulnerable areas," said Luis Tejerina, IDB project team leader.

Program resources will finance flood buffers and river channeling. Additional investments will provide communities with water, sewerage services, electricity, and drainage.

The program will also finance diagnostic and modeling hydraulic studies needed for the creation of a master drainage plan in coordination with the Office of Planning of AMSS, which was created by the council of mayors representing 14 municipalities in the capital region.

The loan was extended for 25 years with a grace period of five years and variable interest rate based on LIBOR.

Children’s Vulnerabilities to Climate Change and Disaster Impacts in East Asia and the Pacific

The living conditions of millions of children across East Asia and the Pacific will be worsened by climate change, says a United Nations report released today, which argues that rising temperatures put children at greater risk of contracting diseases such as cholera and malaria, and natural disasters negatively affect their livelihoods and increase malnutrition rates.

The report, released by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), presents an analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on children in East Asia and the Pacific, drawing from five country studies in Indonesia, Kiribati, Mongolia, the Philippines and Vanuatu.

“Higher temperatures have been linked to increased rates of malnutrition, cholera, diarrhoeal disease and vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, while children’s underdeveloped immune systems put them at far greater risk of contracting these diseases and succumbing to their complication,” said UNICEF’s Pacific Representative, Isiye Ndombi.

A large number of children in the region already suffer from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation, and their situation will only be worsened by climate change, according to the report.

“The findings in this report remind us of the connection between climate change and the other challenges confronting children,” said Anupama Rao Singh, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific. “They also remind us that children’s experiences, and the risks they face in terms of their health, education and development, are unique.”

One in every four children in the Asia-Pacific region is already underdeveloped due to poor nutrition, and the report suggests that frequent disasters such as flooding, cyclones and droughts could have a long-term negative impact on agricultural production leading to higher food prices and an increase in malnutrition rates.

The report, entitled Children’s Vulnerabilities to Climate Change and Disaster Impacts in East Asia and the Pacific, also presents children’s perceptions and experiences with climate change.

“Children often know more about the climate change issue than their parents or grandparents, because issues about climate change are being taught in school and because children are accessing environmental and other media through electronic communication sources more regularly than their elders are,” said Dr. Ndombi.

In Kiribati, children told researchers that coastal erosion was worsening. In Mongolia, children noted harsher winters and declining water resources. Children in the Philippines spoke of heavier rainy periods, and in Vanuatu they reported increased water contamination from saltwater intrusion.

In addition, children in Indonesia, Mongolia and the Pacific, where 50 per cent of livelihoods depend on agriculture, children reported that climate change has already affected their families’ income, sometimes causing their parents to take them out of school.

“Engaging children in adaptation and disaster reduction strategies will be critical to future success,” said Mr. Singh.

According to UNICEF, evidence demonstrates that when children are educated, informed and involved, they share information with others in their communities and are better able to prepare and protect themselves.

“Children are not passive bystanders and should never be treated simply as helpless victims. They have capacities which form the basis for their active participation in emergency response, preparedness and mitigation. They are effective communicators of risk and drivers of change in their communities,” said Dr. Ndombi

Children’s Vulnerabilities to Climate Change and Disaster Impacts in East Asia and the Pacific

UN News Centre Home.14 November 2011 –

Colombia to reduce its vulnerability to natural disasters with IDB support

Colombia will reduce its vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change with the help of a $120 million loan approvedby the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Colombia is one of themost vulnerable countries to natural disasters in Latin America, with more than eight out of ten Colombians located in disaster-prone areas and 87 percent of the country’s GDP at risk from such events. More than 150 natural disasters have struck Colombia over the past 40 years, claiming more than 32,000 lives and affecting more than 12 million people.

This is the first operation in a policy-based loan program. Under these loans, which provide governments with flexibility to fund priority programs, disbursements are made after achieving certain goals agreed upon between the IDB and the borrowing country.

"The program will help the Colombian government protect the country's most vulnerable populations," said Sergio Lacambra, IDB project team leader. “Incorporating risk management and adaptation to climate change in the national development plan will be an important contribution to sustainable development in Colombia."

The program will advance reforms in the areas of risk identification, risk reduction, and disaster management. The reform process will also improve coordination among key government institutions during the emergency, rehabilitation, and reconstruction phases.

The program also includes a series of pilot projects in Pereira and other vulnerable municipalities to strengthen their ability to assess natural disaster risks. Furthermore, it will ensure the physical integrity of buildings such as hospitals, schools, and government offices by changing Colombia’s regulations for earthquake-resistant construction.

The loan is for a period of 20 years with a grace period of five years at a variable interest rate based on LIBOR.

Informe de la Reunión de Expertos sobre la situación actual y perspectivas de la integración centroamericana

A lo largo de su historia, la Sede Subregional de la CEPAL en México ha trabajado en el tema de la integración centroamericana, haciendo estudios sobre este proceso; ha ofrecido asistencia técnica y ha facilitado la comunicación y coordinación entre los distintos actores involucrados en el tema de la integración centroamericana.

La Reunión de Expertos sobre la situación actual y perspectivas de la integración centroamericana tiene el propósito de dar seguimiento a los avances en este proceso; a la luz, sobre todo, de los compromisos asumidos por los presidentes centroamericanos en su reunión extraordinaria en San Salvador en julio de 2010. La declaración conjunta y el plan de trabajo aprobados por los presidentes de cada uno de los países de Centroamérica representan un avance importante en el ámbito de la integración centroamericana.

La declaración le dio un sentido estratégico a la integración al centrarla en cuatro temas fundamentales: la seguridad, el cambio climático y la prevención de desastres, la integración económica y la integración social. También atendió a la necesidad de fortalecer la institucionalidad que debe dar seguimiento y asegurar una visión regional a este proceso de mayor interdependencia en distintos ámbitos.

Informe de la Reunión de Expertos sobre la situación actual y perspectivas de la integración centroamericana

Unidad de Comercio Internacional e Industria.LC/MEX/L.1042, SEM.205/2.Noviembre 2011.26 pp.

Remittances and natural disasters: ex-post response and contribution to ex-ante preparedness

Macro- and micro-economic evidence suggests a positive role of remittances in preparing households against natural disasters and in coping with the loss afterwards. Analysis of cross-country macroeconomic data shows that remittances increase in the aftermath of natural disasters in countries that have a larger number of migrants abroad.

Analysis of household survey data in Bangladesh shows that per capita consumption was higher in remittance-receiving households than in others after the 1998 flood. Ethiopian households that receive international remittances seem to rely more on cash reserves and less on selling household assets or livestock to cope with drought.

In Burkina Faso and Ghana, international remittance-receiving households, especially those receiving remittances from high-income developed countries, tend to have housing built of concrete rather than mud and greater access to communication equipment, suggesting that they are better prepared against natural disasters.

Author: Mohapatra,Sanket;Joseph,George;Ratha,Dilip;Document Date: 2009/06/01.Document Type: Policy Research Working Paper.Report Number: WPS4972. Volume No: 1 of 1 

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