Indicators of Disaster Risk and Risk Management

Abstract

This document is the summary report of the IDB-sponsored system of disaster risk and risk management indicators presented at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan, 2005. The indices estimate disaster risk loss, distribution, vulnerability and management for 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The objective of this program is to facilitate access to relevant information on disaster risk and risk management by national decision-makers, thus making possible the identification and proposal of effective policies and actions. The system of indicators herein proposed permits the benchmarking of each country in different periods, from 1980 to 2000, and cross-national comparisons in a systematic and quantitative fashion allowing the identification of its essential economic and social characteristics. It assists the move toward a more analytically rigorous and data driven approach to risk management decision-making.