$1.8 Million GFDRR Grant Leverages $710 Million World Bank Loan
After a powerful earthquake rocked China’s Sichuan province in May 2008, GFDRR provided a $1.8 million grant - thanks to a contribution from the Government of Australia - to support accelerated recovery and disaster risk reduction during the reconstruction phase. Today, that initial GFDRR investment has leveraged $710 million in World Bank loans to help the Chinese government build seismically-safe schools, health centers, roads, bridges, and infrastructure, among other things. Read more
Vietnam is Taking Concrete Steps to Implement Proactive Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies
Vietnam is one of the world’s most disaster prone countries. GFDRR is working with the government of Vietnam to strengthen disaster risk reduction activities that will contribute to the institutionalization of hazard risk management at the national and community level. Read more
Switzerland and Italy Contribute $1.8 Million To Make Bangladesh More Disaster Resilient
Thirty four hundred people died when a devastating cyclone struck Bangladesh a little over a year ago. Economic and physical losses were in the billions, but officials believe that cost-effective and sensible disaster risk reduction measures, such as early warning systems and emergency shelters, prevented the casualty counts and losses from being even higher. With support from the European Commission, the Bangladesh Government, UN agencies, and World Bank conducted a comprehensive Joint Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment. The Assessment recommended a strategic approach to building a disaster and climate-resilient nation. As Bangladesh implements this long-term recovery and reconstruction strategy, the Government of Switzerland has committed $1.3 million and the Government of Italy 400,000 Euros to help put into place sustained risk reduction measures to make the country more resilient. The Swiss and Italian contributions—mobilized through GFDRR’s Standby Recovery Financing Facility—bring the total amount provided Bangladesh to $3.8 million. This GFDRR investment has leveraged a $109 million World Bank cyclone recovery and reconstruction project.
|
