Disaster risk governance in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Central America: the case of Guatemala

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 Pandemic is a systemic threat of a dimension that humanity has no close precedent, which is why national systems for responding to disasters and biological threats are not prepared for its management. In developing countries such as Guatemala, there are weaknesses of the State, low investment in Health, a deficient primary health-care system, poverty and social exclusion that facilitate the propensity of the country, and people to suffer serious impacts due to the closure or suspension partial of economic and social activities and secondary environmental impacts. This chapter analyzes the governance capacities of Guatemala to face a systemic threat of biological origin such as COVID-19. The Pandemic called COVID-19 is a systemic, global, and of great importance threat related not only to public health, but also to all human activities, whether of an economic, social, or environmental nature. To understand its relationship and impact on disaster risk governance, it is necessary to review some global and national governance frameworks that allow the identification of related aspects, starting from the premise that good governance facilitates the proper management of processes in any activity, in this case in the context of a global emergency. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.