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Press Release from 2018-05-31 / Group, Sustainability, KfW Development Bank

Honduras is preparing for climate change: KfW supports government in adapting to urban climate change

  • For the first time in Latin America
  • EUR 8 million to reduce the risks of floods and landslides
  • 150,000 particularly affected, poor residents of the capital Tegucigalpa will benefit

Today, KfW signed an agreement on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with the municipality of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa to lower the risk of floods and landslides. KfW is providing a grant of EUR 8 million for the measure. Another EUR 2 million is being contributed by the municipality of the city's "Distrito Central" district. The measure is aimed primarily at the 150,000 poorer inhabitants of urban areas most affected by extreme weather events. The measure is part of a regional package, which also includes a programme in
El Salvador.

"Honduras is one of the countries hardest hit by climate change in the world," says Professor Joachim Nagel, Member of the Executive Board of the KfW Group. "The urban population in particular is at increased risk from floods and landslides. The Honduran government has recognised this challenge and developed promising strategies. KfW's support paves the way for the first programme that specifically targets disaster risk management in urban residential areas."

The programme will invest in urban infrastructure such as retaining walls, drainage ditches and reforestation, strengthen the central institutions for risk management and adapting to the impacts of climate change, as well as es-tablish standards and processes for controlling and monitoring measures. The measures supported in the "Distrito Central" district respond to clear nationwide urbanisation trends at an early stage. The city also plays a key economic role for the country beyond just the capital. About a quarter of the basic infrastructure is threatened by the risks of flooding and landslides.

Like its neighbours of El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Honduras is exposed to extreme weather events. The impacts of climate change are in-creasing the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, heavy rainfall, floods and droughts. The country's vulnerability to these events is exacerbated by its high poverty rate, geographical location and topographical features.

Further information on KfW Development Bank can be found at: www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de.