For that, these tools need to be considered as part of a risk-reduction management system, because they make complementary contributions to the prevention, mitigation and recovery systems that exist in the region's countries. Kuriakose and others (2012) have argued that the design and implementation of the system should take account of a number of distinctive elements: (i) flexibility and the possibility of expanding the coverage and geographic zones of implementation, (ii) climatically-smart targeting,3 (iii) investments that promote and strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity, and (iv) the promotion of institutional capacity and resources for climate risk management. Vakis (2006) also argues that social programmes to cope with disasters need different operating criteria, including those that highlight the flexibility of adjustment and the extension of coverage to provide an effective response in the shortest possible time, and coordination between government efforts and those made by different non-governmental and private organizations.