What's New from GFDRR

Just planting a tree or protecting a forest, however, is not necessarily NBS. For example, while mangrove planting as a restoration approach is popular, many planting projects fail to restore a functioning mangrove system, often caused by a poor understanding of socio-economic conditions, ecological conditions or a lack of community support. NBS are actions meant to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. As NBS investments are increasing globally, it is critical to ensure that nature-based solutions are in fact solutions.

Many teams are already supporting the collection of disability-disaggregated data in a number of ways, and it is important for the World Bank’s Global Practice for Urban, Resilience and Land, which is spearheading resilience building, to join in these efforts. Doing so will support our government counterparts in upholding their commitments to the Sendai Framework, and put a much-needed emphasis on the importance of disability-inclusive disaster risk management in Africa.  

In April 2018, cities across Tanzania experienced severe flooding, which displaced over 2,000 households in the country’s commercial capital of Dar es Salaam. By one estimate, the flooding in Dar es Salaam affected up to 1.7 million people, with economic losses equivalent to 4 percent of the city’s GDP. On average, affected households lost 23 percent of their annual income, notwithstanding additional impacts on people’s health and education.

After a decade of strong economic growth, in 2019, Tanzania officially achieved lower-middle-income status. Despite its remarkable economic leap, the country and its commercial center, Dar es Salaam, continue to face growing threats from severe and recurrent flooding.