Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
Stretching along Latin America’s Pacific coast from tropics in the north to freezing micro-climates in the south, Chile faces an array of natural hazards. Home to 20 million people, its location in the Ring of Fire and proximity to major tectonic plates exposes Chile to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
February 2010
a magnitude 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami collapsed buildings, bridges, and highways.
75% of the population
was affected and the damage cost roughly USD 30 billion, or about 18 percent of Chile’s GNP.
stated that the annual average loss for Chile is USD 5.4 billion
A high-income country recognized for its good governance, Chile has reduced many of the risks associated with earthquakes and tsunamis. However, the country must also adapt to the new and intensifying hazards related to climate.
Chile was one of the first countries, together with Bhutan, Madagascar, and Tonga, to implement the new Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review. Developed by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) the methodology helps countries to identify and prioritise the strategies that will build their infrastructure resilience through a five-step approach:
1
Stakeholder mapping
- Key ministries, regulators and operators in infrastructure development
- Cross-sector coordination mechanisms
Review of existing policies and regulations
- Policies and regulations shaping infrastructure resilience
- Integration of disaster risks in national plans and strategies
Identification of vulnerabilities (Stress Testing)
- Data collection on hazards and vulnerabilities
- Multi-hazard resilience testing of infrastructure systems
Principles for resilient infrastructure
- Infrastructure resilience assessment using the UNDRR Resilience Principles
- Identification of resilience-building interventions
Development of an Implementation plan
- Results validation and prioritization
- Implementation plan with assigned responsibilities
“With that in mind, we need to bring together a greater number of stakeholders to identify the vulnerabilities of our infrastructure systems and propose solutions. Without a doubt, we need to explore new solutions that involve more stakeholders in the system” she added.
Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Chile
- Early start
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Early start
Within the disaster risk community, Chile stands out for its proactive approach to disaster risk. While saving lives is the top priority, the motivations are also economic. Between 2000 and 2019, damage to infrastructure accounted for 53 percent of all economic losses from disasters in the Latin American and Caribbean region. By enhancing its infrastructure resilience, Chile also protects its economy.
Chile had already begun its search for new solutions to its disaster risk by the time Chile engaged with UNDRR and CDRI. In 2021, Chile replaced its National Emergency Office of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Safety (ONEMI) with SENAPRED, a new National Disaster Prevention and Response Agency, shifting the emphasis from recovery and reconstruction to disaster prevention.
Meanwhile, Chile’s new policies are also improving the resilience of Chilean infrastructure. New infrastructure projects require a disaster risk analysis, for example. Also, Chile’s 2022 Law on Climate Change (LMCC) requires sectoral, regional, and municipal authorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote resilience to climate change. Such laws complement SENAPRED’s focus on disasters by focusing on hazards that can be slower to develop, such as water scarcity and desertification.
The implementation of these laws cannot come soon enough. Only a year after the LMCC was passed, climate change already began showing its impact. In 2023, a 14-year megadrought strained Chile’s freshwater reserves to breaking point.
Followed by several days of persistent rainfall and flooding, the overwhelmed and parched landscapes resulted in a rapid runoff and flooding. Some 22,000 people were affected by the rains, the heaviest in 30 years, while swollen rivers blocked roads and left thousands of people isolated or in shelters. This event only highlighted the need to build resilience against multiple hazards that Chile has had.
- The process
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The process
The Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review builds on UNDRR’s six Principles for Resilient Infrastructure, which set out the key conditions for sustainable infrastructure resilience. In doing so, the principles support the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the G20 Principles for Investing in Quality Infrastructure.
However, each country needs its own paths to infrastructure resilience, which is why the Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review is important. It provides a structured approach for every country to review and enhance their infrastructure governance, identifying the opportunities to create resilience across government levels.
Chile implemented the methodology’s five steps at the national level from June 2023 to May 2024. A deep dive was then completed for the Biobío region in December 2024, adapting the Global Methodology to the regional level. The analysis focused on six sectors – water, energy, transportation, telecommunications, health and education.
The government was well represented throughout the process, bringing together stakeholders from the ministries of public works (MOP), transport and telecommunications (MTT), energy (MINEN), education (MINEDUC), health (MINSAL), social development (MIDESO), housing and urban planning (MINVU), international relations (MINREL), finance, defence, and environment (MMA).
While this broad representation in the assessment and workshops created a truly multi-stakeholder approach, the Chile pilot also looked at the role of the private sector, which manages a large portion of the country’s infrastructure. This raised questions in terms of coordination, information asymmetries, and the incentives for private companies to invest in disaster risk reduction. When a private company is managing public assets, for example, how can incentives be aligned so that the private company puts the public interest before its desire for profit?
- Recognising drought
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Recognising drought
Stakeholders highlighted discussions of risk as a major strength, noting that the stress testing allowed for a broader assessment of existing infrastructure vulnerabilities, including pandemics and cyber risks. While other threats—such as violence, sea level rise, atmospheric pollution, invasive exotic species, and diseases—were considered, they were ultimately excluded from further analysis due to their limited impact on infrastructure.
Prioritization of Threats in Chile
Click to download the Prioritization of Threats in Chile table in PDF
Drawing from data analysis and workshop discussions, participants ranked the greatest threats to Chilean infrastructure in the following order: drought, fires, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, heat waves, tidal waves, and volcanic eruptions.
Drought and water scarcity emerged as a priority because of their interdependent nature and potential cascading impacts on infrastructure systems. Around 53 percent of Chile’s territory is considered at high risk of drought, and 23 percent is at high risk of desertification. The central areas of Chile have experienced a nearly continuous megadrought since 2010.
“The application of the global methdology allowed us to break new ground by conducting a hazard analysis in Chile specifically targeted to infrastructure, consolidating a systemic view and adding new elements that had previously gone unnoticed, such as droughts,” stated Luis Doñas, Project Coordinator, SENAPRED
“Chile must now analyse these factors more closely to generate appropriate investment and make progress on key issues identified by stakeholders: territorial application, unification of information systems, strengthening intersectoral resilience training, and more decisive private sector involvement,” add Doñas
- Protecting water
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Protecting water
Throughout the assessment, stakeholders distinguished between their infrastructure’s direct economic value and its critical functions. They also examined vulnerabilities, highlighting how the frequency and impact of different hazards can vary significantly between the regions.
Beyond these individual risks, the discussions also explored interdependencies between sectors and the potential for cascading failures. One key example is the relationship between water and energy in Chile.
After more than a decade of mega-drought, water supply companies have implemented contingency measures to limit the impacts in urban areas. However, the sustained dry conditions have seriously affected drinking water, irrigation, and other vital needs in rural areas. The proposed infrastructure assessment integrates advanced technology – such as desalination plants – with ongoing training and public education. Through a combination of short-, medium-, and long-term actions, the plan aims to enhance the resilience and sustainability of Chile’s water resources.
Water supply is not an isolated system, of course. It relies on other critical infrastructure, such as energy and transportation. Energy, in particular, is a priority as every other sector depends on it. A failure in the energy sector could trigger widespread cascading effects. To protect its energy infrastructure, Chile’s plan promotes advanced technologies and renewable energy solutions, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and strengthening long-term resilience.
Chile’s water infrastructure does not have a massive economic value per se, but a sustainable water supply is vital for the health and welfare of Chile’s population. However, this supply depends heavily on other key infrastructure systems (such as energy or transportation) as well as surface and underground sources. These latter make it very vulnerable to interruptions such as drought.
- Next steps
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Next steps
The process initiated in Chile concluded with establishing a Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience, a strategic guide that will shape actions in this area for years to come. While the Roadmap outlines a series of proposals across six key infrastructure sectors, it also lays out a broader pathway for Chile to strengthen its infrastructure governance.
This includes better coordination, the incorporation of risk analysis into infrastructure planning and investment, better compliance, and more available and accessible risk data, including interactive platforms and information exchanges. In other words, Chile is committed to building more resilience into its infrastructure.
With this in mind, Chile has come up with three immediate actions.
Click to download the Immediate Intervention scheme in PDF
1.
First, the Roadmap suggests establishing an intersectoral working group so that the necessary sectors and ministries can develop shared definitions and guidelines for resilient infrastructure. This group will receive extra training from a “Resilience Academy” involving both national and international experts.
Second, recognizing the sheer variety of hazards and territorial conditions across the country, Chile launched a regional-level infrastructure assessment to deepen risk analysis and develop improvements to governance. This process began in the Biobío Region, one of Chile’s 16 regions.
2.
Roughly 40 percent of Chile’s population and 40 percent of its economic activity are concentrated in the central region, where Santiago, the capital, is located. As a result, this area has a higher density of critical infrastructure increasing the infrastructure exposure to hazards. At the same time, remote regions remain highly vulnerable, as they often lack the resources and preparedness to withstand disasters effectively.
Each territory has its own unique needs, making it essential to tailor disaster risk reduction to local context.
Distribution of hazards in micro-zones over the period 2000-2023
3.
Third, Chile will design and pilot an integrated data hub to consolidate risk-related information, enabling better monitoring, evaluation, and decision-making in risk management. The integrated data centre will serve as a unified system for tracking, reporting, and verifying the fragmented infrastructure resilience assessments and diagnostics currently dispersed across different sectors and agencies. By centralising this information, Chile will strengthen infrastructure planning and enhance its disaster risk reduction.
Implementing these and other measures will also move Chile towards a more resilient infrastructure, aligning with UNDRR’s principles for resilient infrastructure. This will better position the country to tackle current challenges, but also to enhance its ability to adapt to new and emerging hazards.
Collaboration will be key to success. Achieving resilience will require continued collaboration between government, business, and civil society. By enabling new analyses and multi-stakeholder workshops, the Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review has played a crucial role in fostering vital trust between the different stakeholders.
“The infrastructure resilience review process achieved excellent work by bringing together different partners, and we now undoubtedly have a space for collective responsibility to strengthen our infrastructure ecosystem from a disaster risk perspective,” said Alicia Cebrián, National Director of SENAPRED
Download the full report:
Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience in the Republic of Chile