We are facing an unprecedented era of increasingly complex crises. A growing number of countries are affected by both recurring disasters caused by natural hazards and protracted crises associated with fragility, conflict and violence (FCV). Violent conflict has spiked dramatically since 2010 and the fragility landscape is becoming more complex. Two billion people now live in countries affected by FCV. By 2020, it is estimated that between 43% and 60% of the world’s extreme poor will live in FCV countries.
In the last decade, countries on the Harmonized List of Fragile Situations were affected by almost 500 disaster caused by natural hazards. These events led to more than 420,000 fatalities, affected over 71 million people and caused damages worth more than $16 billion. There is a growing consensus that neither the Sustainable Development Goals nor the World Bank’s (WB) Twin Goals can be achieved without increasing development impact in FCV settings. The same holds true for the objectives of the Sendai Framework, which form the core of the work undertaken by WB teams working through the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR).
The strategic approach taken by the World Bank to FCV situations includes a number of elements that facilitate work at the intersection of FCV and disaster risk. Over the last few years, GFDRR has already experienced growing demand from FCV-affected countries. As of August 2018, GFDRR supported 78 engagements in 34 fragile and conflict-affected countries, with over $53 million in grant commitments. Through a new initiative that is supporting a systematic deepening of Disaster Risk Management engagements in FCV settings to ensure that these activities support stabilization and peaceful development.
In this blog series on Adaptation and Resilience as part of our Sustainable Communities blog series, we'll explore how The World Bank is approaching the intersection of fragility, conflict and violence, and disaster risk.
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