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Posted by
Maleshoane Lekomola-Danziger, 05 May 2021
The mountain Kingdom of Lesotho like many countries is no stranger to disasters. The landlocked small state of 2.2 million people is continually buffeted by multiple shocks, primarily drought but also flooding, frost, hail and storms. The country was in the throes of responding to a catastrophic drought as the COVID-19 coronavirus insipidly yet inevitably advanced into Sub-Saharan Africa in February 2020. This drought was so severe that the UN said it was ‘one step away from famine’ -... Keep reading
Posted by
Sumati Rajput, 29 April 2021
Shocks--no matter their cause--are inevitable. We all know that. Through the Global Risk Financing Facility (GRiF), we strive to help vulnerable countries prepare financially for those shocks. So, they can resist, rebound, and recover from their financial impacts. We've learned a lot in the two years since GRiF went from design to implementation. Today, virtually everything we do is designed to help lessen the impact of climate shocks, disasters, and crises. Our first public annual report shows... Keep reading
Posted by
Antoine Bavandi , 08 March 2021
In our last blog, we read about why it is challenging to procure reliable drought risk information. The Next Generation Drought Index (NGDI) platform is a cutting-edge project spearheaded by the World Bank’s Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program (DRFIP), and supported by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University. Through a combination of unique expertise, satellite technology and simplified design processes, it aims to provide access to the... Keep reading
Posted by
Antoine Bavandi , 04 March 2021
Today, more than 746 million people suffer of food insecurity. This is compounded by the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 which is estimated to push another 150 million+ people into extreme poverty in 2021 . This is exacerbated by an increase in the number of people affected by climate shocks such as drought events (Figure 1). Climate change, widely acknowledged to be a threat to food security could, in worst-case scenarios, double the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance... Keep reading
Posted by
Chris Mahony, 26 January 2021
“We have to recognize that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.” This statement, by Professor Cornell West, drives a more difficult question: how do we measure and support ‘commitment’ between social groups so that a relationship’s loyalty, love, patience, and persistence is fostered? In conflict-affected and fragile settings, the fostering of inter-group relationships, particularly those between refugee... Keep reading
Posted by
Tatiana Skalon, 21 January 2021
Në vitin 2019, Shqipëria u përball me një seri tërmetesh, ndër të cilët edhe një me magnitudë të lartë; më pas, mes përpjekjeve për rindërtim në vitin 2020, u godit edhe nga pandemia COVID-19. E përballur me nevojat e shumta në rritje, mbështetja e qeverisë shqiptare shkoi për të varfërit dhe personat e prekur nga fatkeqësitë dhe krizat, përfshirë këtu edhe bizneset. Për ta realizuar këtë, ajo shfrytëzoi rezervat fiskale, rishpërndau buxhetet për përparësitë urgjente dhe u mbështet tek ndihma e... Keep reading
Posted by
Tatiana Skalon, 15 January 2021
In 2019, Albania experienced a series of earthquakes, including a major one; then, amid reconstruction efforts in 2020, it was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Confronting multiple increasing needs, the government of Albania supported the poor and those affected by disasters and crises, including businesses. To do so, it tapped into its fiscal reserves, reallocated budgets toward urgent priorities, and relied on external assistance. Many of these measures were ad hoc. In September 2020, jointly... Keep reading