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07 November 2023
Gender gaps in several areas contribute to women being more severely affected by natural disasters than men. An estimated 80 percent of those displaced by climate change are women, and women are disproportionally represented among the 4 billion people globally who are excluded from social protection schemes. For example, only 26.3 percent of working-age women are covered by a pension scheme, compared to 38.7 percent of working-age men. Additionally, women make up 55 percent of the world’s... Keep reading
02 November 2023
The Horn of Africa (HoA), one of the world's poorest and most fragile regions, faces severe drought. The region is home to about 50 million pastoralists, who are extremely poor. Pastoralism and livestock production are the primary livelihoods in the HoA, accounting for over one-third of agricultural GDP in most countries and around 80% in Djibouti and Somalia. During droughts, livestock either perish or are sold at extremely low prices. The World Bank’s De-risking, Inclusion and Value... Keep reading
24 October 2023
Chipo Msowoya (Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank) remembers the day, several years ago, when he visited the district of Ntcheu in Malawi. “The project team was chased and stoned. People in the community were furious that the level of drought emergency support was so low. Their actions reflected the sheer scale of desperation in the area,” recounts Chipo. Fast forward a few years, the very same community thanked us for changing their lives. This really shows the impact of scalable... Keep reading
19 October 2023
Last month, we were privileged to participate in the Symposium for Index and Disaster Risk Financing for Francophone Africa in Dakar . This crucial convening for the region was fueled by the presence of over 100 delegates. These representatives gathered with a common purpose - to exchange innovative ideas and insights on resilience and collaborative efforts . It was a space where experiences, challenges, and solutions were shared, sowing seeds for a future where disaster risk financing is... Keep reading
06 September 2023
Last June, we had the opportunity to attend a workshop in London, UK, to learn how the De-risking, Inclusion and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economies in the Horn of Africa (DRIVE) project has mobilized private sector capital through insurance markets to protect over one million pastoralists against drought. All by its first birthday! The project is supported by World Bank's International Development Association (IDA), alongside some matching grants from the Global Shield Financing Facility (... Keep reading
12 July 2023
Global studies have shown that disasters – in general – often affect women harder than men. At a recent webinar on “Women in Risk Finance," I had the privilege of listening to accomplished women leaders share their perspectives and experiences on financial resilience in the face of natural disasters and how gender plays a critical role in a country’s climate and disaster risk finance (DRF) plans. Even after years of significant economic and social progress, women continue to face barriers in... Keep reading
11 May 2023
In just four days in February, 200 avalanches hit the mountain regions of Tajikistan, sweeping away houses, rendering critical roads impassable, and killing 19 people. These kinds of disasters are nothing new to Central Asia. Over the past two decades, the region lost over $1.5 billion to natural disasters, affecting over 2.5 million people . A major flood—say, one with a one percent probability of occurring annually—could cause devastating losses : from $220 million in the Kyrgyz Republic to $... Keep reading