La Gestión del Riesgo a 25 años del Sismo de 1985 con Epicentro en Michoacán - Seminario

6 to 8 October 2010 in Michoacán, Mexico

INIGER AC – Instituto de Investigación para la Gestión de Riesgos A.C., University of Michoacan, Mexico


From October 6th to 8th, 2010 the seminar "Risk Management : 25 years after the 1985 Earthquake with Epicenter in Michoacàn - Effective Risk Management" took place in Morelia, Mexico. Organized by the "Instituto del Investigacion para la Gestion del Riesgo A.C. - INIGER" (Institute of investigation for Risk Management) under the leadership of Dr. Patricia Alarcon Chaires, the seminar aimed at analyzing risk management in a consistent, coherent and holistic approach taking into account geological, structural, social, political and economical variables in development planning. The beautiful city of Morelia - UNESCO world heritage site and a major birth place of the Mexican Independence movement - provided the setting with its historical, cultural and architectonical wonders. The event was sponsored by INIGER, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America, University of Michoacàn "San Nicolàs de Hidalgo", Global Risk Forum GRF Davos, Mexican Society of Seismic Engineering, Institute of Economic and Enterprise Investigations, Mexican Chamber of Masonry Industry, Mexican Civil Protection and the City Hall of Morelia.

Coming from all over Mexico, there were about 100 people among the attendants and speakers who joined the event from a variety of sectors and backgrounds, from scientists (seismic and civil engineers, geophysicists and economists) to development professionals in governmental departments and organizations, such as representatives of the Mexican Department for Economics, the national director and staff of the Mexican Civil Protection Agency, officers of the Marine Corps of the Mexican Army and of the United Nations (ISDR).

Mexico is a country largely prone to natural disasters, changing with the different parts of the country: tropical wind storms and typhoons in the Gulf of Mexico, earthquakes and tsunamis on the Pacific coast, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on the central high plateau, droughts in the northern parts of the country and floods and landslides in the southern ones. In light of such high vulnerability, the seminar focused on the importance of natural disaster management in relation to sound development planning. Topics included technical design issues on seismic-proof buildings, risk analysis in seismic engineering, evaluation of structural damage from earthquakes, integral risk control, early warning systems, hydrological, hydrogeological and water-resources-related risk management and impact of natural disasters on the economy and development.

With bustling economic activity and growth and, yet, with 18.2% (or 47%) of people living below the poverty line (using, respectively, food-based definition and asset-based definition), Mexico will face important challenges with regard to citizen vulnerability and protection from impact of natural catastrophes in the next years.

The Global Risk Forum Davos, represented by Dr. Giorgio Amsicora Onnis, was invited to support and to join the seminar with the purpose of presenting its last publication "Microinsurance - An Innovative Tool for Risk and Disaster Management", providing the audience with knowledge and awareness on this new risk management option and its potential applications in both developed and developing countries.

Please find Giorgio Amsicora Onnis' Presentation below:

1) the role of microinsurance as a market-based approach to risk management and as a poverty reduction tool,

2) the potential for cooperation between the public and private sector in public-private partnerships,

3) the most current challenges to make microinsurance affordable to the poor and profitable to the insurance industry,

4) the importance of the involvement of major stakeholders in the MI supply chain and key players in Policy makers, IGOs, science, business, technology, media and society at large,

5) potential growth and impact on low-income households of microinsurance activities, and

6) innovative approaches to agriculture and natural disasters insurance (Weather-Index Microinsurance). Attendants' attention was drawn on the coming IDRC conference in Davos, from August 26-30, 2012.