Fernando Ramirez is a Colombian engineer with 30 years of experience, including 18 years in the field of natural hazards and disaster risk management (DRM). He is currently Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at The World Bank. In this position, he is leading the World Bank’s Global Program for Safer Schools with activities in more than 15 countries such as Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Peru, Jamaica, El Salvador, among others. He is also task team leader in DRM related operations in Central Asia and East Europe Region. He led the Probabilistic Risk Assessment Program (CAPRA) in Latin America and the Caribbean region and the Caribbean Risk Information Program. Before joining the Bank, he served as a government official in Colombia as Project Manager for the Colombian Geological Service and Head of the DRM Directorate for the city of Bogota. In these positions, he conducted numerous scientific studies of hazards, vulnerability and risk; led the design and implementation of DRM public policies at the national, regional and local levels and emergency response programs. He was trained as a Civil Engineer and holds a Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering from the National University of Colombia.