Reducing and managing the risks due to earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding and other natural hazards is critical to many countries in the region in terms of holding onto the development progress they have made, said the IDB External Relations Advisor, Mirna Liévano de Marques, in accepting one of five Silent Defender Awards from the International Code Council Foundation on May 11, 2006.
Held annually, the Silent Defender Awards honor individuals and institutions that are dedicated to mitigating the impacts of natural disasters and other tragedies by promoting the construction of durable, safe buildings.
The IDB was selected for this award because of its commitment to a proactive disaster risk management approach in Latin America and the Caribbean. The award recognizes the Bank’s pivotal role in the region, both in terms of post-disaster reconstruction, as well as efforts to implement and enforce the development of strong building standards and codes, an explicit element of Bank-financed projects in disaster-prone areas.
A crucial part of this proactive approach to natural disaster mitigation is the Bank’s Disaster Risk Management Indicators Program for the Americas, which provides vital information to policymakers regarding countries’ capacity to minimize disaster risk and enforce safety standards and construction codes.
Complementing these efforts, the Bank recently established a $10 million Disaster Prevention Fund to assist countries in activities such as identifying risks to natural hazards, preparing disaster prevention projects and improving early warning systems, among other activities.