The present publication traces the history of the Bank's lending for urban development and discusses its approaches to current urban issues. It is intended for specialists and individuals interested in getting acquainted with the evolution of the Bank portfolio.

This technical paper investigates potential avenues for reducing economic losses resulting from natural hazards, and discusses ex ante and ex post issues affecting disaster risk management. It also assesses how both types of measures can be jointly used to reduce the economic impact of disasters...

This report includes the proceedings of the Seminar on Climate Change and Severe Weather Events in the Caribbean and Asia, held in Barbados at the Grand Barbados Beach Resort on July 24-25, 2003. The seminar provided a forum in which experts from the Southeast Asian and Caribbean regions...

This study refers to disaster risk management at the local level. The topic was selected by the members of the Natural Disasters Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue, and was presented during its 3rd Meeting, on March 6 and 7, 2003. The goal of this document is to achieve a better knowledge...

This report was commissioned by the Natural Disasters Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue. This report constitutes Phase 2 of this project. While the first phase of the study discusses the components of a national system, the second focuses on instruments for financing reconstruction after a...

Este informe anual sobre el medio ambiente y los recursos naturales examina las acciones del Banco durante 1999. Durante dicho año, las actividades ambientales y de recursos naturales del Banco se concentraron en tres áreas de acción prioritaria: 1) la identificación y puesta en marcha de...

The objective of this Health Strategy (GN-2321) is to help Latin American and the Caribbean countries improve the health of their populations, attaining national health objectives and tailoring Millennium Development Goals to conditions in each country. The priorities areas of Bank Actions...

This technical paper provides us with an in-depth explanation of how losses due to catastrophes are insured and who absorbs the costs of compensating the insured assets. In the absence of an effective insurance market, the government often becomes the de facto financier of postdisaster...

The Bank expanded its housing finance activities in the 1990s, shifting its support toward sector reforms that increase the capacity of housing finance and delivery mechanisms to cater to the needs of low-income households. The present publication examines Bank experience in housing, draws...