Risk Governance Scan of Colombia
Colombia has launched an ambitious reform to improve its risk governance and boost resilience to disasters. This OECD Disaster Risk Governance Scan reviews Colombia’s progress in implementing the reform against the 2014 OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Critical Risks. The report identifies success factors and good practices in implementing the disaster risk reform agenda, focusing on central government policies and their implementation, and provides a set of recommendations to strengthen Colombia’s efforts in the future.
Foreword
Colombia is one of the countries most exposed to natural disasters. Regularly recurring disasters such as floods and landslides cause an estimated USD 200 million in damages on an annual basis. During the 2010/11 ‘La Niña’ phenomenon, damages were as high as USD 6.3 billion. As much as 80 percent of the population is exposed to two or more types of natural hazards, including many of the poorest in society. Decades of armed conflict, unplanned urbanisation, the rise of natural hazards that trigger technological accidents, and a recent flood of migrants all contribute to increasing social vulnerability and a changing risk landscape.