Over the past two and a half decades, Mexico’s National Civil Protection System (Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil, SINAPROC) has achieved significant improvements, notably in its planning, response and recovery capacities. Similar to many OECD countries, however, SINAPROC now senses the need to shift focus toward risk prevention. Its recent legislation promotes a forward-looking approach aimed at avoiding or reducing damages before they occur, and is consistent with placing climate change adaptation at the core of the country’s strategic vision for development. These improvements have enjoyed strong political support at the federal level and buy-in from most SINAPROC stakeholders, which should be continued to foster resilience and to keep pace with increasing economic and social vulnerabilities.