Panama City, March 18, 2026.
Within the framework of the VIII Consultative Forum of the Central American Policy for Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (PCGIR), the Technical Table of Axis A: Governance, investment and protection of decisions was developed, a space aimed at strengthening the integration of risk in public and private investment as a pillar of regional resilience.
The panel brought together representatives from the public finance, risk management, and strategic partner sectors, who analyzed the main structural challenges facing the region in moving toward more resilient investment. Among these challenges, it was highlighted that risk is growing at a faster rate than institutional capacities to manage it, which directly impacts the sustainability of economic development.
During the exchange, significant progress was acknowledged in incorporating risk management into national public investment systems, strengthening planning, adopting financial protection instruments, and developing regional risk assessment tools. However, gaps were also identified in governance, financing, information, and technical capacities, which limit a more effective implementation of these measures.
In this context, the Estrategia Regional para la Gestión Financiera de la Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres (ERGFRRD) is positioned as a key instrument to guide investment towards resilience, promoting the integration of risk analysis in budget planning, strengthening financial protection and improving public decision-making.
As a result of the meeting, participants identified priority lines of action aimed at strengthening the integration of risk in public investment processes, promoting the exchange of good practices on financial instruments and risk protection mechanisms, as well as consolidating spaces for technical coordination and intersectoral articulation that allow for improving the quality and use of information for decision-making.
Likewise, a call was made to strengthen regional coordination to promote more resilient public and private investments, recognizing that the challenges identified require joint efforts, continuous technical cooperation and the participation of diverse actors, including representatives of bodies of Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA), civil society organizations, the private sector, as well as actors linked to social inclusion, youth and risk management, among others.
The process was supported by strategic partners such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Banco Mundial, el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), CEPAL y Cooperación Alemana para el Desarrollo GIZ, whose support has been fundamental for the development of technical tools, capacity building and the promotion of innovative solutions aimed at financial protection and regional resilience.
With this space, the region is moving forward in consolidating a common agenda that seeks not only to reduce existing risk, but also to prevent the generation of new risks, thus strengthening the sustainability of investment and economic development in Central America and the Dominican Republic.
