Resource information
Disasters are increasing worldwide, with
more devastating effects than ever before. While the
absolute number of disasters around the world has almost
doubled since the 1980s, the average number of natural
disasters in Middle East and North Africa (MNA) has almost
tripled over the same period of time. In the MNA, the
interplay of natural disasters, rapid urbanization, water
scarcity, and climate change has emerged as a serious
challenge for policy and planning. Projections by
climatologists and United Nations specialists suggest that
MNA economies and livelihoods will be the second most
affected by climate change. Governments across the region
have seen a progressive increase in demand for comprehensive
disaster risk management (DRM) services. Since 2007, a range
of country-level programs have been launched in Djibouti,
Morocco, and the Republic of Yemen to increase their
resilience to disasters due to Global Facility for Disaster
Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Decentralization of the DRM
agenda has progressed slowly, although some countries are
making a progressive shift. This report aims to take stock
of progress in risk management in MNA, while identifying
gaps for future interventions, to broaden the dialogue for a
more proactive and collaborative management of risks. This
report builds on the strategic vision, principles, and goals
of the MNA region's countries; the Islamic Strategy for
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (ISDRRM); the MNA
strategic framework for climate action; and the World
Bank's strategy update for MNA. This report aims to
establish a more strategic and collaborative framework
between the World Bank and its international partners,
particularly United Nations International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and UN Development Program
(UNDP), in order to assist MNA countries to shift from
disaster response to proactive risk management.
