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REGIONAL PLATAFORM FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN THE AMERICAS
INVESTING IN RESILIENCE
THIRD SESSION -- SANTIAGO CHILE NOVEMBER 26-28, 2012
Maria del Pilar Cornejo, Minister of Risk Management for the National Secretariat of Ecuador
Welcome to the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas
Thank you
Speaking at this post 2015 panel you commented on the importance of creating local, regional and national planning processes.
How do these processes occur in Ecuador and in detail, what would they consist of?
We have what is called the zoning code, approved in December 2010
With this code the municipalities are required to have a management plan which should include risk management variables.
But of course to have a law does not necessarily mean that it can be done immediately.
We help local governments, especially with the technical information from the different threat maps to prioritize.
But the work is quite difficult in some cases because there are municipalities that are too small
and what we are doing is a synergy between the central Government and local governments in order
for us to give support with our technical team so that the initial development is made and then, each township can continue the task on its own.
We understand that risk management is a public policy that is protected by the Constitution.
How did you obtain this success?
Before it did not exist in the Constitution neither did the Constitution mentioned "risk management".
The impulse given by our Government to include this in the 2008 Constitution
was mostly because we already had a history of more than 40 years of suffering the assault of different phenomena
such as the phenomenon of el Nino, volcanic eruptions, landslides,
including an earthquake that affected the pipeline in the 1980s, then this led to promote the change
The fact that there should be risk management stated in the Constitution is a legal resource
that has no precedents in our history and is useful for everyone who works with this topic.
Minister, I understand that Ecuador has invested over 230 million dollars in prevention work. Where are these works focused?
Most of the work focuses on what is the most recurrent: flooding and landslides.
This year we have seen the importance of investment.
In 2012, the coastal region had twice the rainfall we had in 2008 and,
however the impact has been between a 25% and 20% less;
this means that this investment has been very effective in prevention especially in reference to agriculture,
which is always affected
This means that the balance is positive
Yes, it is
How to integrate other sectors? Not necessarily the Government, for example private initiative, academy. What are you doing regarding this?
In the academic area,
we as Secretariat in Ecuador work transversally with other ministries and with the Ministry of Science and Technology,
we have two lines of action. One is funding research programs on threats and the other is the training.
This year they have sent at least 10 to 15 people to obtain a postgraduate degree in related topics
and we are investing about $20 million, more or less, in institutes such as the Meteorological Institute, the Oceanographic Institute,
and the Institute of Space Research to obtain better information on threats in the territory and to have better prevention.
Finally, what are the next steps? Where will Ecuador focus on this prevention, disaster risk reduction and resilience building?
The theme that we've seen that affects us most is the issue of risk of providing safe water
Then the Government is directing its focus on two things: one is the financing,
because it is not only central State funds co-financing the municipalities' urban system of drinking water and drainage and sanitation because,
as we have heard today in the morning, most of the population will be in urban areas. (Of course)
And second, it is to the plan urban development. These are the priority lines of action for at least the next 4 years.
Maria del Pilar Cornejo, Minister of the National Risk Management Secretariat, thank very you much for joining us,
and if we were to take a vote, count with my vote to make the upcoming Regional Platform in Ecuador
Thank you
Thank youand welcome