COMITRAN considers advances in the operational plan with RIDASICC

During the XLIX Ordinary Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers of Transport of Central America (COMITRAN), Julie Lennox, Head of the Agricultural Development and Climate Change Unit of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), presented the progress of COMITRAN’s operational plan , of the Central American Economic Integration Secretariat (SIECA), within the framework of the project “Strengthening capacities for the incorporation of disaster risk reduction and sustainable and inclusive adaptation to climate change in public investment in COSEFIN member countries /SICA (RIDASICC)”.

The authorities considered the findings and recommendations regarding the various channels of climate change impact on road infrastructure and the vital services they provide to the population. They agreed on the next steps for the development of a regional methodological guide, the updating of a technical manual for the integration of disaster risk reduction and sustainable and inclusive adaptation to climate change in road infrastructure, and to strengthen their geographic information systems.

The XLIX Ordinary Meeting, held in Panama, was attended by Librada De Frías, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Works of Panama, the country that currently holds the Pro Tempore Presidency; Bayardo Pagoada Figueroa, Undersecretary of State in the Office of Transportation and Marco Antonio Velásquez Hernández, Undersecretary of State in the Office of Public Works of the Secretary of State in the Offices of Infrastructure and Transport (SIT) of Honduras; Alejandro Guillén Guardia, Vice Minister of Infrastructure of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation of Costa Rica; Héctor Aldana Reyes, Vice Minister of Transportation of the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing of Guatemala; Óscar Mojica, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure of Nicaragua, and Emilio Ventura Díaz, Vice Minister of Public Works of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation of El Salvador, accompanied by the SIECA Chief of Staff, Duayner Salas Chaverri.

The implementation of this initiative is coordinated by the Regional Committee for Risk Management and Adaptation to Climate Change (CR-GRACC) of COMITRAN, made up of officials from said Ministries. The RIDASICC project aims to contribute to the reduction of losses and damages caused by disasters and the response to the climate emergency by including disaster risk reduction and sustainable and inclusive adaptation to climate change in the life cycle of public investment projects, conserving and improving the services provided to the population of the member countries of COSEFIN/SICA. At the national level, it is focused on strengthening the capacities of the National Public Investment Systems (SNIP) and at the regional level, on strengthening the capacities of SICA instances to promote this agenda.

The project is coordinated by ECLAC and the Executive Secretariat of COSEFIN, with the close participation of the seven Ministries of Treasury or Finance and three Ministries or Planning Secretariats responsible for the National Public Investment Systems (SNIP) of the COSEFIN member countries. /SICA, COMITRAN/SIECA and other SICA institutions, and has financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (COSUDE).