With over 70 percent of the population and 80 percent of gross domestic product concentrated in disaster-prone regions, Türkiye’s vulnerability to natural hazards continues to threaten the country’s long-term development prospects. A case in point is the February 2023 earthquake in southern and central Türkiye that claimed over 50,000 lives and caused direct damages exceeding $34 billion. While earthquakes are by far the most frequent natural hazard in Türkiye, the country is also no stranger to landslides, floods, and wildfires. 

Determined to protect and sustain its development gains, Türkiye has put disaster risk management front and center in its latest development plan (2024–28), which also affirms the country’s ambition to bolster the resilience of critical infrastructure. The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank, including through the Japan-World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries, have been major partners in advancing Türkiye’s resilient infrastructure agenda. 

Under the $265.8 million Seismic Resilience and Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings Project, a key focus of GFDRR support has been to strengthen the resilience of Türkiye’s public buildings, including hospitals, educational facilities, dormitories, and public administration buildings. As of the end of fiscal year 2025, structural strengthening measures have enabled eight public buildings to be more resilient, helping protect the lives of 4,500 people from future disasters. 

“We didn’t even notice the earthquake last night, which measured 5 on the Richter scale. Our building is now safe and secure, and we are at peace.”
— Student at Istanbul Technical University Ayazağa Girls’ Dormitory, one of the buildings that saw structural strengthening measures

Prioritization of the structural strengthening of public buildings has been informed by an assessment of structural vulnerabilities and the importance of the building’s functionality during and after disasters, among other factors. The structural strengthening measures include improvements to specific sections of the buildings, such as columns and beams, as well as interventions across the whole building. In addition to structural strengthening, energy efficiency measures are also being implemented in public buildings. 

Eager to scale up these efforts across its public building stock, the government of Türkiye has also counted on the support of GFDRR in strengthening its capacity to deliver, maintain and operate resilient infrastructure, including public buildings. For instance, support has been provided toward a suite of analytical work that has produced a comprehensive stocktaking of both conventional and more novel measures for structural strengthening. At the same time, this support is also providing critical insights for the government to consider when these measures are applied in the context of Türkiye. In addition, the analytical work has provided key considerations for evaluating potential trade-offs between structural safety and energy efficiency. Nearly 3,400 stakeholders—including Turkish government officials, academia, and engineers—have attended a series of workshops distilling the findings from the analytical work.