Local risk assessment processes, urban resilience and community risk management committees: cities in Εcuador

This article addresses the main results of a project, obtained from this particular inter-institutional collaborative ecosystem that includes local decision-makers, academia, international cooperation, and community risk management committees. Between 2020 and 2022, the World Food Programme in Ecuador, with the support of USAID/BHA and in coordination with the National Secretariat of Risk and Emergency Management, implemented the project "Strengthening local government capacity in disaster risk reduction and preparedness with a focus on food security and gender in densely populated urban centers (PRORED)".

This project strengthened urban resilience and DRR capacities in the most vulnerable communities and neighborhoods in seven cities of the country. In coordination with the Higher Polytechnic School of the Coast (ESPOL) and the Risk Management Units of the seven municipalities, PRORED promoted the organization of community risk management committees in settlements with high multi-hazard risk and evidence-based decision-making on risk management processes at the local level.