Bolivia develops National Policy for Risk Prevention

The Bolivian government, the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) and the German Cooperation Agency (GTZ) are promoting a series of actions to incorporate risk management into Bolivian development planning, and define a national policy for risk prevention, which will contribute to preventing or reducing the impact of future disasters. The joint effort favors the new view of integrating risk reduction into the framework of sustainable development.

The initiatives are executed in the framework of the inter-institutional agreement signed by the three agencies to combine efforts in the formulation of risk management policies, considering that the costs of reducing vulnerabilities in the framework of development actions are substantially less than those of rebuilding affected areas. In the near future, other organizations are expected to join this effort at coordination to optimize resources and prevent dispersion of effort.

To start off these efforts, a workshop titled "Toward the formulation of a national policy for risk prevention" was held in La Paz with focus on the development sectors. The workshop was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Sustainable Development; international cooperation; international experts in transport, basic sanitation, urban planning, agriculture, education and health, as well as various knowledge institutions.

The workshop considered the social, economic and environmental costs of disasters and defined guidelines for formulation of risk prevention policies. Tanya Corrales, coordinator of the CAF Preandino program, and Sergio Mora, a specialist from IDB, provided an enriching exchange of international experiences.

In another development, a meeting was held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to discuss and analyze the CAF and GTZ proposal to support the four municipalities in the Rio Grande Community in their plans to incorporate risk management into municipal government. The meeting was attended by the vice minister, and representatives of the Office of the Planning Vice Minister, the Santa Cruz prefecture, the mayors and councilors of the Rio Grande municipalities, and other institutions linked to development.

A timetable of activities was agreed and the next meeting was set for the first half of March in which municipal councils, territorial base organizations and vigilance committees will participate, so that the process of strengthening risk management has the backing of all the Rio Grande municipalities.

CAF representative in Bolivia José Carrera said that these actions gave continuity to the Preandino´s activities, which include preparation of national and sectoral strategies to reduce vulnerabilities, integration of prevention into development planning and land management, the institutionalization of prevention, and support for definition of legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks for risk management, as well as the impact on reduction and mitigation of disaster risks in Bolivia.

The formulation of a national policy for risk prevention is more necessary at this time when the country´s growing vulnerability to disasters is again evident because of the absence of a clear prevention policy, and lack of plans and coordination between the responsible bodies in Bolivia. These deficiencies have enormous economic and social costs, and exert a decisive influence on the national economy by delaying development; moreover, they are not offset by the foreign emergency economic aid that the country receives.

The alliance between the CAF, GTZ and the Planning Vice Minister´s Office is creating awareness among the various national bodies of the importance of working together. The alliance strengthens the technical capacities and institutionalization of risk management in the national, sectoral and territorial institutions responsible for the formulation of risk-management policies and strategies, through the joint execution of the agreed plan of activities, which operates at national, departmental and municipal levels.

Future work includes the integration of disaster prevention into development planning; strengthening planning systems; support for preparation of cooperation projects; promotion of the coordination of international cooperation; strengthening legal and institutional schemes, and exchange of experiences.

PREANDINO is a program sponsored by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) and other multilateral development banks in the Latin American system in response to a mandate from the five presidents of the five Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) agreed at the XI Andean Presidential Council held in Cartagena, Colombia in 1999. Its purpose is to stimulate and support the formulation of national and sectoral policies on prevention and mitigation of disaster risk, and the development of schemes and forms of institutional organization aimed at integrating the prevention approach into development planning.