Damages caused to Tajikistan by natural disasters over the past twenty-two years have been estimated at 500,000,000 U.S. dollars.
A Regional Forum on Disaster Risk Financing took place in the Kazakh city of Almaty on February 26. Speaking at the meeting, experts noted that Central Asia’s economies must significantly increase financial protection against natural disasters and consolidate efforts to effectively manage disaster risks, according to press release issued by the World Bank.
Policymakers and disaster risk management experts from five Central Asian countries reportedly discussed ways to improve financial protection, including which financing instruments to use, in the context of rising challenges brought about by climate change.
Central Asia is among the world’s most disaster-prone regions. Earthquakes, floods, landslides, extreme weather events and other natural disasters occur almost every year across the region.
In the past three decades, natural disasters have affected over 10 million people throughout the region and caused economic losses of almost $2.5 billion. Earthquakes, which have the potential to cause the most damage, impact 2% of the region’s GDP ever year, while floods impact 1.6%.
The agriculture sector, which employs one-third of Central Asia’s population, is highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as flooding or drought. During 2000-2001, a regional drought caused losses of more than $800 million in agricultural production, with severe consequences for people, especially in rural communities.
Attended by more than 80 participants from Central Asia and beyond, the Forum was organized as part of the World Bank’s efforts to support disaster risk management, including financial protection, in Central Asia. To date, the World Bank has invested over $100 million in projects and technical assistance across the region.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction for the period of 2019-2030, which was adopted on December 29, 2018, notes that natural disasters that occurred in the country over the past twenty-two years have caused economic losses of 500 million U.S. dollars.
3.460 natural disasters reportedly occurred in Tajikistan during the period from 1997 to 2018.
