17 Dec 2018

New road projects as examples of successful coherence in Mexico’s public investment

by GIDRM

As a result of the joint efforts between Mexico and Germany, the Center for Socioeconomic Preparation and Evaluation of Projects of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico published a document on the inclusion of disaster risk as a variable into the analysis of public investment projects. This document will serve as a theoretical guide for all sectors within the governement to incorporate disaster risk reduction measures into a project design. This design is then presented to the Investment Unit to request budget to execute a construction in Mexico.

The piloting subsector for applying the disaster risk variable into a project design will be the sector for roads, since this particular sector is the most affected when a disaster strikes in Mexico. Also, roads generally do not have an insurance coverage and this subsector usually requires the largest sums of money for reconstruction of the country's Disaster Relieve Fund (FONDEN).

This publication is in accordance with the new federal government of Mexico’s priorities, which are stated in the Nation Project 2018-2024. Furthermore, this strategy aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction’s goal to “reduce the damage of critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services”. Similarly, it also corresponds to the Agenda 2030’s SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure with its target 9.1: “Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.”

In 2019, three road projects will be piloted with these criteria for disaster risk reduction. They are expected to be successful pilots, paving the way for more good practice examples of successful coherence in public investment and public planning. The projects will be chosen by the Investment Unit of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, together with the Vice-ministry of Infrastructure of the Ministry of Communications and Transportation and the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management of GIZ.