Corporación de Gestión de Riesgos de Desastres GRID Chile joins APEC project to strengthen the link between local development and disaster risk management intensified by climate change.
Santiago, Chile – Corporación de Gestión de Riesgos de Desastres (GRID Chile) has launched the project “Strengthening community resilience in the face of intensified disaster risk due to climate change”, supported by APEC, with the goal of strengthening the capacity of APEC economies to link local development with disaster risk management measures intensified by climate change.
APEC economies are exposed to a wide range of natural and socio-natural risks, largely due to their geographical location, which makes them highly vulnerable to multiple disasters that have been increasingly intensified in recent decades by the effects of climate change. Despite having local instruments such as emergency plans and disaster risk reduction strategies, material damages, heritage losses, and casualties are becoming more frequent. The limited understanding and weak coordination between local development strategies and measures for prevention, mitigation, and emergency response further aggravate the situation. At the municipal level, implementation of these instruments is often hindered by insufficient coordination and limited local capacity to integrate development policies with disaster risk management measures.
The GRID Chile / APEC project seeks to address these gaps by strengthening local capacities and promoting coordination among municipalities, economic actors, and civil society. The initiative is aligned with the first principle of the APEC Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (DRRF), which promotes community participation, and contributes to building resilient and adaptable economies in the face of disasters.
Main activities
The project includes the preparation of a Baseline Document, based on a literature review and a survey of representatives from APEC economies and relevant local stakeholders involved in disaster risk management and planning. This diagnostic process will help identify gaps, capacities, and lessons learned in linking local planning instruments with disaster management measures.
As the main activity, a Workshop will be held in Santiago, Chile, on January 20–21, 2026. The event will bring together representatives from APEC economies, DRM experts, and other key actors to exchange experiences, best practices, and strategies to link local development with the implementation of disaster prevention, mitigation, and response measures.
Beneficiaries and relevance
The project involves representatives from the public sector, private sector, and civil society, particularly at the local level, who participate in the design and implementation of municipal plans in areas such as development, disaster risk management, climate change, economy, and territorial planning. Participants are expected to be professionals with decision-making capacity and influence in their fields, thereby contributing effectively to building community resilience.
Key beneficiaries include local government officials, community leaders, and civil society organizations. One of the project’s main goals is to strengthen the implementation of public policy instruments for disaster risk management, promote the harmonization of local development plans with risk reduction strategies, and foster more resilient communities across the APEC region.
