Stronger before the storm: How Colombia built a system to withstand disaster

Colombia is no stranger to natural hazards. From earthquakes to floods, climate-linked events have disrupted lives and strained public resources. But today, Colombia is better prepared—and that didn’t happen by chance. 

Over two decades, Colombia has steadily strengthened its disaster risk management (DRM) system—linking policy reform, institutional capacity, and financial preparedness to better manage shocks. With strong national commitment and long-term support from the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), Colombia has advanced a proactive approach that enables rapid response and builds resilience over time. 

That progress reached a milestone in 2025 with the approval of Colombia’s fourth Development Policy Loan with a Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO IV), giving the government immediate access to funds in the event of a disaster. Behind that headline is a story of sustained investment, local innovation, and commitment at all levels of government. 

Laying the Groundwork for Resilience 

The turning point came in 1999, when a powerful earthquake struck Colombia’s Eje Cafetero region. In response, the government and World Bank mobilized $93 million for recovery, but the experience revealed a need for faster, more flexible financial tools. 

In 2008, Colombia became one of the first countries to access a Cat DDO, a financial instrument that not only provides rapid funding after a disaster but also requires risk reduction and preparedness policies to be in place before disbursement—something Colombia had been steadily advancing for years. That first Cat DDO proved its worth during the 2010–2011 floods, when funds were disbursed within weeks to support relief and early recovery. 

With support from GFDRR, Colombia strengthened its DRM foundations. This included the development of an inventory of localized high-risk areas, which guided municipal land use planning, and conducting a national DRM system analysis that informed policy and institutional reforms. 

Each Cat DDO in Colombia has supported a new wave of reforms, and each disaster has reinforced the value of investing in advance. 

The second Cat DDO introduced in 2012 included reforms to the National DRM Plan, strengthening land use planning, and developing tools to reduce risks in the housing sector. With GFDRR support in 2016, the government also conducted a mid-term evaluation of its reconstruction efforts from the 2010-2011 La Niña floods. 

These efforts paid off. In 2020, when COVID-19 struck, Cat DDO II disbursed in full—providing fast liquidity and demonstrating the value of preparedness. 

Resilience Starts Locally

Strong national policies are only part of the equation. Over the last decade, Colombia has invested in building local capacity.  

More than 900 municipalities have developed DRM plans, and over 280 have updated land use regulations to address hazards. On the other hand, GFDRR helped develop the Municipal Disaster Risk Index Adjusted for Capacities in 2017-18, a tool that measures risk across municipalities by evaluating exposure, vulnerability, and capacity, and helps guide policy, set priorities, and allocate resources more effectively. 

In the education sector, the city of Cali stands out. With World Bank and GFDRR support, it developed a 12-year school infrastructure plan focused on strengthening school buildings against earthquakes. 

Photo: Colombia. Students draw on chalkboard. © Charlotte Kesl / World Bank

New Risks, New Responses 

Colombia’s third Cat DDO, approved in 2021, expanded the focus to include policies on climate change and public health emergencies and resilient transport —an especially timely shift. It disbursed in 2022 during one of the country’s longest La Niña seasons.  

Now, with Cat DDO IV, Colombia is going even further.  

With GFDRR’s support, backed in part by the Government of Japan, the country has strengthened policy dialogue across national, sectoral, and subnational levels. This led to updates of the National Disaster Risk Management Plan (PNGRD)—Colombia’s main roadmap—and Cartagena’s District DRM Plan, both aligning risk management with climate adaptation and development priorities. 

GFDRR has also helped develop technical guidelines for planning roads in hazard-prone areas, now being integrated into the Ministry of Transport’s manuals—a step toward strengthening the resilience of transport infrastructure. In 2024, the Municipal Index was updated to include water-related risks such as drought and forest fire. For the first time, Colombia’s DRM strategy also covers the tourism sector and empowers local governments and communities to play a larger role than ever in resilience building. 

GFDRR continues to support Colombia as it adopts a more integrated approach to resilience—linking climate adaptation, social inclusion, and fiscal sustainability.