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Many urban areas in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) face extreme temperatures, storms, and floods that are exacerbated in intensity and frequency due to climate change. In response to the heightened hydroclimatic threats, cities are implementing a wide range of climate change adaptation measures. This includes disaster risk reduction, not only providing infrastructure solutions such as the installation of flood parks and storm tanks but also nature-based solutions. Another step taken by municipalities is to implement disaster preparedness actions to respond to disasters that surpass the protection threshold of such infrastructure, such as installing early warning systems and setting up response coordination centers, among other measures. Empirical evidence has taught us that all these measures must be accompanied by adequate governance frameworks to facilitate their implementation and make their results sustainable.
Both the Housing and Urban Development Division (HUD) and the Environment, Rural Development, and Disaster Risk Management Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are aware of the challenge faced by our cities in addressing climate action, and we work to support them. It is in this context that the Governance and Public Policy Index for Disaster Risk Management at the Local Government Level (iGOPP Local) is introduced. This tool, designed by the IDB, will assess the governance conditions necessary to implement disaster risk management processes at the subnational levels of our region. Keep reading this article to learn all the details about iGOPP Local and its contribution to mobilizing resources for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), as well as the experience of three cities where it has already been tested in a pilot project.
Green financing: one of the main challenges for cities
Having financing, along with the adoption of robust regulatory frameworks and adequate institutional arrangements, is one of the three main governance elements that contribute to reducing disaster risk. Seventy percent of the construction or transformation of climate-resilient infrastructure must take place in cities. This means that cities will need to make annual investments of between US$4.5 trillion to US$5.4 trillion by 2030 if they want to meet international climate commitments at the local level. However, often, cities do not have sufficient funds and need to mobilize resources, which is not always an easy task.
One aspect that can support resource mobilization is for cities to have public policies aligned with international initiatives in this regard.
What is iGOPP Local?
With the aim of supporting cities and other subnational governments in strengthening public policies, as well as other challenges of Disaster Risk Management (DRM), the IDB is finalizing the development of the Governance and Public Policy Index for Disaster Risk Management at the Local Government Level (iGOPP Local). This tool is based on the methodology of the national level (Governance and Public Policy Index in Disaster Risk Management – iGOPP).
iGOPP Local allows evaluating the existence and validity of a series of legal, institutional, and budgetary conditions considered essential for the advancement of public policies in disaster risk management and climate change adaptation at the subnational level.
How can iGOPP Local support cities in climate action?
iGOPP Local provides a diagnosis, among other aspects, of the existence of:
- Normativity that assigns responsibilities for climate change adaptation and DRM.
- Budget allocation to implement the agenda outlined in public policies.
- Mechanisms for the control and evaluation of these policies, including community participation.
iGOPP Local is aligned with the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), highlighting the critical importance of policies and investments that strengthen cities’ capacity to respond to climate change.
Regarding policies and investments, as mentioned, to support DRM and climate change adaptation governance in cities, iGOPP Local provides inputs to diagnose the existence of the institutional framework, normativity, instruments, and budget allocations that allow the implementation of public policies for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation at the subnational level.
Pilots to implement iGOPP Local
In 2023, pilots of iGOPP Local were conducted in three cities in the Southern Cone: Iquique (Chile), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Rosario (Argentina).
These cities shared their experience with the IDB during the closing session of the Regional Public Good, held in Asunción (Paraguay) on August 22 and 23, 2023. All of them highlighted that the application of iGOPP Local promoted interdisciplinary work through the construction of collaboration networks with other areas related to DRM and CCA. According to their comments, iGOPP Local allowed them to visualize challenges in accessing financing for the construction or transformation of climate-resilient infrastructure, as well as inputs to strengthen planning instruments.
What is the particular experience of the three pilot cities?
The city of Iquique used iGOPP Local to diagnose normative aspects that could strengthen DRM and CCA governance in its municipality. These normative elements are being incorporated into the update of its Communal Regulatory Plan and its Communal Development Plan.
Montevideo stated that iGOPP Local has provided them with inputs to visualize how to integrate DRM into territorial planning and organization.
Finally, Rosario explained the challenges of accessing financing dedicated to the construction or transformation of climate-resilient infrastructure, especially for the initial phase, including feasibility and pre-feasibility studies that must include disaster risk and CCA analysis.
We are ready to take action
These experiences highlight how iGOPP Local can be used, among other purposes, to diagnose aspects to strengthen DRM and CCA governance, which can, in the future, support resource management for the construction or transformation of climate-resilient infrastructure.
In the Housing and Urban Development Division of the IDB, we are ready to support LAC cities in applying iGOPP Local to strengthen their governance and address the challenges of managing resources to finance the implementation of public policy in DRM and CCA.
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