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Add to Preferred SourcesThe World Bank approved a $90 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) in support of the government of Mozambique’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Resilience Program.
This financing will support the implementation of the government’s second DRM master plan, which seeks to improve financial protection against natural disaster, including the operationalization and capitalization of the recently established Disaster Management Fund; strengthen disaster preparedness and response, and build climate resilience into vulnerable education infrastructure.
“As we approve this financing, my thoughts go to the families of those who perished during the cyclone Idai and the flooding season in the center of Mozambique. We will ensure that $9 million of this financing be made available for emergency as soon as the project becomes effective,” noted Mark Lundell, World Bank country director for Mozambique. “This program seeks precisely to strengthen the capacity of the government to respond quickly and build more resilience in the communities for future climate hazards.”
Evidence shows that the poor tend to bear the brunt of natural hazards prompted by climate change as they are often the least prepared and have limited financial capacity to cope. It is estimated that the program will directly benefit a total of 3,360,000 people. This includes women and other vulnerable groups, as well as children who will benefit from school retrofitting.
Mozambique exposure to climatic shocks is made worse by the effects of climate change, which highlights the importance of strengthening the country’s financial resilience. Without changes in climate and disaster risk management and financing policy, climate change is expected to cause economic damages of up to US$7.4 billion during the period 2003–50 in Mozambique.
The total funding for the program is $132.27 million, of which $90 million is provided by IDA; $6 million is from the Global Risk Financing Facility (GRiF), and $36.27 million are Government of Mozambique’s counterpart funding.
Original source: World Bank
Published on 19 March 2019