Program Profiles
A series highlighting key
GFDRR-supported initiatives

Building Regulation
for Resilience
REGION: GLOBAL
FOCUS: RISK REDUCTION

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
In the last decade, low- and middle-income countries haveaccounted for 93% of disaster-related fatalities, despite having
experienced only 53% of disasters globally. This disproportionate
impact stems in large part from unsafe and unregulated urban
development. In high-income countries, building codes andregulatory frameworks have been incrementally improved inresponse to a combination of hazard impacts, structural failures
and public health disasters. In low- and middle-income countries,
however, regulatory systems have not developed in the same way(if at all) and do not afford the same protection.

PARTNERS:
The Building Regulation for Resilience program is a
global partnership that builds on in-depth consultations with key partners, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), UN-Habitat,and UNESCO, along with other prominent partners
like the International Code Council, the US National
Fire Protection Association, academic institutions,
think tanks, and the private sector.

Published April 2016

The Building Regulation for Resilience program, an integral part of
the World Bank’s broader Resilient Cities agenda, seeks to develop
a new stream of activities to increase regulatory capacity and inturn promote a healthier, safer, and less risky built environment
in low- and middle-income countries. By leveraging good practicein building regulation as part of a strategy to reduce both chronicrisk and disaster risk, it will set developing countries on the path toeffective reform and long-term resilience.

BACKGROUND:
Nearly 1.4 million people are moving into urban areas
every week. By 2050, the percentage of people living incities is expected to rise to 66 percent, with much of thisgrowth concentrated in Africa and Asia. Nearly one billion
new dwelling units will be built to support these growing
populations.
Building regulation and land use planning are essential tourban development and determine how resilient buildings
are to natural disasters and chronic risks, such as fires andspontaneous collapses. Disasters are increasing both infrequency and intensity and climate change is threatening
to exacerbate losses even further. Annual losses in thebuilt environment are expected to rise from roughly $300
billion to $415 billion by 2030 and 100 million people may be
pushed into poverty.
Today, there is a window of opportunity to address
underlying risks affecting the built environment. The
implementation of adequate building regulatory frameworks
has proven to be the most effective way to improve healthand safety and reduce disaster risk.

APPROACH:
Improved building codes can make a significant difference inthe rate of building collapses in fast-changing environments.
Japan, for example, has revised and enacted numerous laws
over the past century to improve seismic codes and responses
to new developments impacting building regulation and safety.
This resulted in reduced risk and losses. When the 1995 Kobe
earthquake struck, 97% of the buildings that collapsed werebuilt under old building codes, while only 3% complied with themost updated codes.
Similarly, with a specific focus on vulnerable settlements inlow- and middle-income countries, the Building Regulation
for Resilience program aims to develop the larger regulatory“ecology” of institutions that support effective building code
implementation.
The program seeks to achieve this through four maincomponents:
1.
National level legislation and institutions
2. Building code development and maintenance
3. Local implementation
4. Knowledge sharing and measurement
The program is a global partnership of governments,
international development institutions, and key public, private
and non-governmental actors in the building sector.

CONTACT:

Thomas Moullier
tmoullier@worldbank.org
www.gfdrr.org/buildingregulation

FUTURE GOALS:
Consistent with Priorities 2 and 3 of the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), which aim to better understanddisaster risks and strengthen governance to manage them, theprogram will respond to and reinforce the growing international
consensus on the importance of building and land use regulation. The
program will also form an integral part of the World Bank’s broader
agenda for resilient cities. The primary priorities of the program are(i) to stop the expansion of disaster and chronic risk in the siting andconstruction of new settlements and (ii) to reduce disaster risk invulnerable existing settlements. At the country or city level, this will
be achieved by focusing on governance reform, strengthening national
and local capacity, and creating building standards appropriate
to the poor and vulnerable. At the international level, the initiative
will support new partnerships and knowledge resources criticalto creating a global impact. The program is testing this approachthrough three pilot projects in Africa and Asia.