This study examines how environmental issues have been addressed in the water sector in Brazil, within the context of activities of the Federal Government, generally, and those implemented under Bank sector operations, in particular. The core focus of the study lies in the management of water quality, as it affects both the users of raw water, and those who are primarily concerned with the disposal of wastewater. The report considers the following three sectoral areas concomitantly - water resources management, water supply and sanitation, and, the environment - thus limiting its review, and focus to those themes which are key to the over-arching issue of water quality. Water resources management in the country relied upon heavy investments in medium, and large scale projects that provided basic infrastructure for water uses. However, these have produced questionable impacts in terms of reducing poverty, and inequality. One of the reasons for this, has been the poor infrastructure management, which despite its importance, has been largely underestimated. While improvements in the utilization of existing infrastructure in the water sector remain critical, it needs to be complemented by incentives to both service providers, and water users. Moreover, low economic, environmental, and social returns from investments in the water sector, reflect the tendency to distract attention from the objectives in the design, and implementation of projects. Thus, an assessment of water quality goals is required, which should be based on systematic evaluations of the costs, and benefits of reaching alternative standards, and explicit social objectives.

During the past decade countries in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region have lifted more than 50 million people out of poverty, yet half of the rural population in the region still lacks access to sanitation and approximately 20 percent to drinking water. In January 2012, policy makers, scholars, and practitioners from nine LAC countries came together in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to explore the opportunities and challenges of integrating in a more systematic and sustainable way the promotion of hygiene and sanitation behavioral change into water and sanitation investments. During the conference in Santo Domingo, it became evident that a common understanding is currently emerging from most countries in the sense that infrastructure by itself will not solve the global problems of inadequate access to improved sanitation and potable water, unless people adopt new behaviors. Therefore, there is a need to spread learning on best practices to implement cost effective water, sanitation and hygiene models, which bring about change at home and in the community at scale. This paper highlights key issues that arose in presentations and group discussions during the conference, which, can lead to substantial improvements in the provision of a multi-sector approach to hindering sustainable water and sanitation services for all.

This report presents the World Bank Group's experience in climate and disaster resilient development and contends that it is essential to eliminate extreme poverty and achieve shared prosperity by 2030. The report argues for closer collaboration between the climate resilience and disaster risk management communities through the incorporation of climate and disaster resilience into broader development processes. Selected case studies are used to illustrate promising approaches, lessons learned, and remaining challenges all in contribution to the loss and damage discussions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The introduction provides an overview of the UNFCCC and also introduces key concepts and definitions relevant to climate and disaster resilient development. Section two describes the impacts of globally increasing weather-related disasters in recent decades. Section three summarizes how the World Bank Group's goals to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity are expected to be affected by rising disaster losses in a changing climate. Section four discusses the issue of attribution in weather-related disasters, and the additional start-up costs involved in climate and disaster resilient development. Section five builds upon the processes and instruments developed by the climate resilience and the disaster risk management communities of practice to provide some early lessons learned in this increasingly merging field. Section six highlights case studies and emerging good practices in climate and disaster resilient development. Section seven concludes the report, summarizing key lessons learned and identifying potential gaps and avenues for future work. | En el informe “Crear resiliencia mediante la integración de los riesgos climáticos y de desastre en el proceso de desarrollo” se muestra por qué es esencial desarrollar la resiliencia al clima para poder alcanzar los objetivos del Grupo del Banco Mundial de poner fin a la pobreza extrema y promover la prosperidad compartida. En este resumen ejecutivo se hace un llamado a la comunidad internacional del desarrollo a trabajar en diversas disciplinas y sectores con el propósito de generar una mayor resiliencia de largo plazo, reducir los riesgos y evitar mayores costos en el futuro. Se hace hincapié en la necesidad de crear instituciones y dotarlas de los medios para emprender la continua labor que se requiere para lograr un desarrollo en que se tenga en cuenta la resiliencia al clima y a los desastres. Al destacar las mejores prácticas, el informe muestra cómo los instrumentos financieros y los programas de intervención, sumados a la experiencia y conocimientos especializados en preparación para casos de desastre adquiridos durante décadas, están ayudando a las naciones a prepararse para un mundo más expuesto a los cambios. Asimismo, en el informe se reconoce que un desarrollo con tales características tiene costos iniciales adicionales, que se amortizan en el largo plazo si se actúa correctamente. En este contexto, el informe propugna una colaboración más estrecha entre las comunidades responsables de crear resiliencia al clima y las encargadas de administrar los riesgos de desastre, y la incorporación de la resiliencia al clima y a los desastres en los procesos de desarrollo en sentido más amplio. Presenta estudios de casos seleccionados para mostrar algunos enfoques promisorios, las lecciones aprendidas y los desafíos que aún existen. | Le présent rapport explique pourquoi le renforcement de la résistance aux chocs climatiques est une condition essentielle à la réalisation des objectifs du Groupe de la Banque mondiale — mettre fin à la pauvreté extrême et promouvoir une prospérité partagée — et pourquoi il devrait constituer la clé de voûte du programme mondial de développement. À défaut d’aider les pays, les régions et les villes pauvres et vulnérables à se préparer et à s’adapter aux risques climatiques actuels et futurs, nous risquons de mettre en péril des décennies d’acquis du développement. Nous espérons que ce rapport, en s’appuyant sur l’expérience de la Banque mondiale en matière de résistance aux chocs climatiques et de préparation aux catastrophes naturelles, contribuera utilement au débat international en cours sur les moyens de lutte contre les pertes et les dommages occasionnés par le changement climatique. Le rapport reconnaît cependant qu’un tel développement exige au départ des financements supplémentaires qui s’avéreront rentables à long terme si les choses sont faites correctement. Dans ce contexte, le rapport préconise un renforcement de la collaboration entre les collectivités engagées dans l’application de mesures de résistance aux chocs climatiques et de gestion des risques de catastrophe, ainsi que l’intégration de ces mesures dans le cadre plus large de leurs processus de développement. Le rapport s’appuie sur diverses études de cas pour illustrer les démarches prometteuses, les enseignements tirés de l’expérience et les difficultés qui restent à surmonter. Le rapport entend contribuer au débat engagé dans le cadre de la Convention-cadre des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques au sujet des pertes et des préjudices liés aux effets néfastes des changements climatiques. Il s’adresse principalement aux professionnels du développement et aux décideurs nationaux qui doivent composer avec le défi posé par une aggravation possible des catastrophes causées par l’évolution graduelle des conditions climatiques moyennes et extrêmes.