EU-funded assessments on hazards, exposure, and vulnerability advance risk prevention planning across Central Asia

ALMATY, November 24, 2021 – Over the course of the last week, three new hazard and vulnerability assessments were delivered under the European Union-funded “Strengthening Financial Resilience and Accelerating Risk Reduction in Central Asia” (SFRARR) Program and presented to technical experts and representatives of Central Asian disaster risk management agencies and the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction (CESDRR). The Landslide Scenario Assessment, which was shared with national stakeholders on 16 November, gathered the most detailed landslide inventories covering both national and transboundary territories in Central Asia. The assessment was conducted using a hybrid approach with best empirical methods and the most complete information available for the region.On 18 November, a new report on Exposure Data Development was released. In Central Asia, available exposure information is scattered across different datasets, most of them created at national scale. The new report contributed to filling this gap by producing the first regional exposure dataset for Central Asia.The Report on Vulnerability Data, which was presented today, concluded the set of recent analyses of exposure to natural hazards in Central Asia, including earthquakes, fluvial and pluvial flooding, and landslides. The findings of this report will be included into earthquake and flood risk models developed for the region and will allow identifying priorities for future disaster risk reduction actions.Together these three documents contribute to the development of a comprehensive probabilistic risk assessment for Central Asia, consistent across multiple hazards and asset types of the target countries. The development of these reports is coordinated by the World Bank with technical support from a consortium of international experts led by RED (Risk Engineering + Development) and in partnership with national specialists from the five target countries.Central Asia is a region prone to damaging natural hazards. While the five Central Asian states make continuous progress in risk response, climate change and associated weather events require systematic analysis of potential natural hazards and the associated losses and damages they may cause. The new reports contribute collectively to Central Asian efforts towards enhancing regional coordination, better-planned preparedness, and prevention of future disasters.The EU-funded SFRARR Program is managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and implemented by the World Bank in close collaboration with CESDRR.For additional information, please contact:Ms. Elnura Abakanova, Communications Officer, EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, e-mail: elnura.abakanova@eeas.europa.eu; Ms. Chyi-Yun Huang, Senior Urban Development and Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank, e-mail: chuang@worldbank.org.