97325 WWW.GFDRR.ORG Stories of Impact A series highlighting achievements in disaster risk management initiatives Stakeholders Engage to Build Belize’s Climate Resilience REGION: LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN RESULTS & ACHIEVEMENTS COUNTRY: BELIZE FOCUS AREA: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION • The National Climate Resilience Investment Plan (NCRIP) has been fully With the increasing incidence of climate-related adopted by the Government of Belize, disasters, the Government of Belize is working to resulting for the first time in climate change-related impacts being integrated improve its resilience by transforming the country’s into national investment planning across all approach to economic and social development sectors and ministries. with a national plan that cuts across all sectors of the economy. The highly participatory plan, • The $1 million ACP-EU NDRR/GFDRR grant leveraged a $30 million World Bank project, which brought together a range of stakeholders, which led to the development of the $520 will integrate climate resilience and disaster risk million NCRIP. management into all aspects of the country’s development planning, ensuring sustainable growth • The project brought together several government agencies, non-governmental throughout the country. organizations, as well as the private sector to carry out a multi-criteria evaluation. It The project is funded by the European Union (EU) was this broad stakeholder engagement through the Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)-EU that enabled the integration of physical, Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program, an initiative social, environmental, and cultural factors to prioritize transportation investments. of the ACP Group managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). • The plan identified four priority regions where investment in the transportation sector will help reduce economic losses, ensure continued connectivity during floods, and protect vulnerable communities. GFDRR Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk ReducƟon Program An initiative of the African, Caribbean and Paci c Group, funded by the European Union and managed by GFDRR Context LESSONS LEARNED In coastal, low-lying Belize, climate change poses an imminent Strong analytic work and a transparent process socioeconomic threat. Communities and businesses face significant are critical to building stakeholder consensus. losses due to climate-related hazards such as floods, drought, salt water intrusion, and coastal erosion. Recurrent flooding Analytical and technical support from the World affects the connectivity of roads and transport systems. This Bank and GFDRR supported the NCRIP process impacts all sectors of the economy, but particularly the agriculture to integrate data and information into decision- and tourism industries, which account for more than 50% of making. The use of technical assessments and the national economy. Recognizing these urgent needs, the risk information enabled key actors to remain en- Government of Belize developed the National Climate Resilience gaged at each stage of the development process. Investment Plan (NCRIP). This transparency was essential for the plan to be integrated in the medium-term national develop- Approach ment strategy. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Belize led a series of consultations with key stakeholders from the private Developing national plans of this scale requires and public sectors as well as civil society and non-governmental comprehensive and iterative processes. Develop- organizations (NGOs), gathering inputs to develop the investment plan. The project is funded by the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction ment of the NCRIP involved a rigorous series of Program and managed by GFDRR. in-country consultations and keeping all parties informed and involved in the development process. NCRIP draws lessons from the Caribbean Region Pilot Program for The plan functions as a “living document” subject Climate Resilience (PPCR) of the Climate Investment Funds, which to ongoing review. used a participatory approach to develop technical and investment projects. Key elements of the plan include: • Technical Data and Knowledge Transfer: NCRIP will help facilitate the collection of geospatial data and risk assessments, essential Next Steps for developing effective land use planning investments to The National Plan is expected to be fully integrated into Belize’s strengthen the country’s critical roads and bridges. development strategy and is aligned with the Horizon 2030 • Strengthen Drainage and Transport Networks: A number of Development Framework, a national set of development goals to be projects have been identified to physically upgrade Belize’s achieved by 2030. While Belize is raising substantial resources for drainage and transportation systems, for example, a national the improvement of its public services, particularly in the transport zoning plan that can provide guidance on disaster mitigation. sector, the government has identified a significant financial gap and • Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management: In addition to is currently exploring ways to raise additional resources and reduce physical factors, NCRIP identifies social, environmental, economic costs. The next steps will be to carry out recommendations set forth and cultural interventions to strengthen climate resilience. in the plan to reduce climate vulnerability in the transport sectors of four priority regions in Belize. “We need to put in place a national policy and strategy, an action plan to deal with the realities of climate change. The government is looking at doing this across sectors, getting information from various entities in a nice integrated approach, and I applaud them for taking this very important step.” — Nadia Bood, Director, World Wildlife Fund, Belize Contact Shaela Rahman I Senior Communications Officer, GFDRR srahman@worldbank.org I +1 202-458-0283 www.gfdrr.org *All figures in US Dollars