Advancing climate and disaster risk modelling in Costa Rica through collaboration

The Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA) programme recently convened public institutions, technical experts, and local partners in Costa Rica for the final workshop of an implementation phase led by INGENIAR and CIMNE in partnership with the Superintendencia General de Seguros (SUGESE).

The workshop demonstrated how insurance-grade risk analytics can support risk finance decisions and risk management strategies, with several impactful outcomes:

• The Heredia infrastructure risk project gave a multi-hazard view of risk to municipal assets. Its outputs are already being embedded into urban planning, climate policy, and public investment processes.
• Risk assessment of the strategic Inter-American Highway (Ruta 2) proved how probabilistic modelling and resilience analysis can help protect critical infrastructure. This new capability is already being replicated across further transport corridors.
• In the tourism sector, a new knowledge platform is empowering MSME hotel and hostel owners to better understand their risk exposure and explore adaptation and insurance solutions.
• New agricultural risk analysis demonstrated the value of risk metrics to development banking, agricultural credit, and resilience-focused financing mechanisms.

A key message from participants was clear: this work was not just a diagnostic exercise, but the foundation of a long-term framework for embedding risk-informed decision-making into policy, planning, and investment.