Bera, who is also president of the National Business Support Network for Environmental Protection (Ecored), considered it a necessity to have the resources to increase resilience, to work on the management of risks from natural phenomena, because it is a more profitable investment than the reconstruction of infrastructure and, in addition, guarantees the continuity of services.
Forbes Central America
SANTO DOMINGO.- Dominican and Central American businesspeople participated yesterday in the XI regional conference on business sustainability, organized every two years by the Central American Integration Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (Integrarse), this time with the theme "Resilience for sustainable business development: facing adverse environments".
Mariel Bera, the pro-tempore president of Integrarse, advocated for the urgent incorporation of risk management into business models to mitigate the negative impact and high cost of severe droughts, floods, forest fires, storms, cyclones, and other natural phenomena that are increasingly frequent, intense, and characteristic of our geographic area.
Bera, who is also president of the National Business Support Network for Environmental Protection (Ecored), considered it a necessity to have the resources to increase resilience, to work on the management of risks from natural phenomena, because it is a more profitable investment than the reconstruction of infrastructure and, in addition, guarantees the continuity of services.
Citing statistics from the United Nations, Bera specified that for every dollar invested in building strong infrastructure, four dollars are saved in reconstruction.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Pavel Isa Contreras, explained that the government is working on cross-cutting issues and on having better statistics to achieve the articulation of quality public policies.
He said they are currently conducting diagnostic studies to more effectively analyze the risks posed by natural disasters in the country.
“We face the challenge of strengthening public investment in the face of climate change and strengthening the regulatory framework for risk management, but I want to emphasize that we are very committed to this,” he stated.
For his part, Nahuel Arenas, deputy head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), indicated that by 2030 global disasters could increase by 40%, which means 540 disasters per year or, in other words, more than 1.5 events per day.
On behalf of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, Manuel Ogando pointed out that the organization has issued four bonds for a total of $1.563 billion to support climate change initiatives in both Central America and the Caribbean region.
About the XI regionalconference
This is the first time the country has hosted this international event, which seeks to place the issue of investment for the prevention and management of natural disaster risks on the agenda of the private sector in Central America and the Caribbean.
According to Ecored's executive director, María Alicia Urbaneja, this edition established a relevant dialogue between the public and private sectors on the importance of investments in environmental risk management, the exchange of best practices, considering the vulnerability of countries that, due to their geographical location, are increasingly fragile to the effects of climate change that negatively impact the economy, development, and quality of life.
“We hope that this event will foster resilience and the implementation of actions that guarantee business continuity in the face of the effects that these extreme events may cause; an active role of the business sector is required in the design of management tools and mechanisms, which allow private sector investments to impact the construction of societies resilient to natural disasters,” he said.
The agenda also included the panel “Role of the private sector in disaster risk prevention and management,” discussed by Rafael Izquierdo, senior executive vice president of Administration and Operations of Grupo Universal, who is also president of the Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Committee of the Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP); Elizabeth Mena, executive vice president of the Dominican Mining Corporation (Cormidom); Roberto Herrera, executive director of the Punta Cana-Macao Energy Consortium (CEPM); and Jorge Subero, executive president of the Cap Cana Group.
The keynote address “Integrating global risk management and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria into business strategy to generate competitive advantages” was presented by César A. Rodríguez, SVP Marsh Advisory Leader, of the global professional services firm, based in New York, MARSH.
The activity included a second panel on “Resilience as a competitive advantage in the region”, moderated by specialist Thony Da Silva and the participation of the presidents of the organizations belonging to the INTEGRARSE Network, all prominent businessmen from the region.
And it concluded with the words of the president of ECORED, host of the event, and Alejandra Kissiling, president of AED, from Costa Rica.
This event was sponsored by the Central American Investment Bank (CABEI), Grupo Universal, Fundación Cap Cana, Corporación Minera Dominicana (Cormidom), Banco Popular Dominicano and Consorcio Energético Punta Cana-Macao – Energas and supported by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Global Alliance for Cities Resilient to Natural Disasters (ARISE), Pizzolante Comunicaciones and FORBES Dominican Republic and Central America.
