What's New from GFDRR

A recent publication released by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), The Power of Partnership: Public and Private Engagement in Hydromet Services, explores the “vitals” for successful public and private engagement. These include open data policies enabling private sector participation with a clear division of roles and responsibilities between sectors, as well as non-restrictive country legislation and legal frameworks. 

The GFDRR and HEPRTF programs at the World Bank share a commitment to help countries prepare for and respond to unexpected and unforeseeable events.  Whilst the programs are different in how they operate and function and with whom they interact in government counterparts, they share commonalities such as a strong commitment to strengthen the capacity of governments to systematically prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Our latest knowledge note, prepared in collaboration with experts from China’s Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management (ADREM) at Beijing Normal University, presents recent progress in China's national resilience building and distills insights on what it takes to strengthen resilien­ce at scale.

When disasters strike, local government leaders and humanitarian organizations look to data to inform their responses. Maps can provide a snapshot of the people exposed to the disaster, the extent of the damage, and the places important to the community such as schools and health.

Disasters happen. There is nothing humanity can do to prevent earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions from occurring, and even disasters with a human cause may strike suddenly and without warning. However, communities and populations can be made more resilient in the face of disaster through building resilient land and geospatial information systems.