The workshop presented the National Capacity Assessments (NCAT) for Hydrology prepared for five Central Asian countries.

The assessments followed World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Guidelines and focused on water resources, operational hydrology, and cryosphere monitoring. The goal of the NCATs is to map hydrological service delivery needs for critical sectors, including hydropower, agriculture, and disaster risk management. See Youtube video for more. Video

Ming Zhang, World Bank Global Director, Global Practice for Urban, Land, Resilience and Disaster Risk Management, spoke at the Mayors' Leadership Forum on nature-based solutions and cities' role in protecting biodiversity.

Planning for resilient, inclusive and sustainable infrastructure is crucial — but what does this look like in practice? In this panel, GFDRR Head Niels Holm-Nielsen shared how GFDRR ensures that recovery and risk management efforts are responsive and sustainable by integrating community voices and adapting to on-the-ground realities. 

Nature-based solutions (NBS) cost-effectively complement gray infrastructure while enhancing biodiversity. At the World Bank, GFDRR works on the integration of NBS in disaster risk management, water, and transport investments.

This Knowledge Café event on extreme heat at the World Bank Annual Meetings — with Ming Zhang, World Bank Global Director for Urban, Disaster Risk Management and Land, Maria Marcela Silva World Bank Regional Director for Infrastructure, Latin America and Caribbean, and Niels Holm-Nielsen, GFDRR Head as speakers — highlighted potential solutions to the pressing challenge of extreme urban heat.