This two-day forum brings together representatives of national government ministries and agencies responsible for disaster management, health, social protection, and finance and insurance, alongside research institutions, academia, international organizations, and development partners. Participants discussed the progress achieved by the SFRARR program and explore future strategies for sustaining and enhancing resilience across the region.

Central Asia is exposed to many natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, droughts, and extreme weather events. The region’s vulnerability to these hazards leads to an estimated $10 billion annual average affected GDP. The impact of climate change is expected to further exacerbate the frequency and severity of climate related events, making resilience building and establishing proper mechanisms for disaster risk financing and insurance a top priority for Central Asian countries to protect lives and socioeconomic progress in the region.

To support these efforts, EU has partnered with GFDRR and the World Bank to implement the five-year SFRARR program, which focused on improving financial resilience and promoting risk-informed investment planning to strengthen disaster and climate resilience across Central Asia. The program has been implemented in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, in close collaboration with the Almaty-based Centre for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction (CESDRR).

On the first day of the forum participants reviewed the main achievements and recommendations of the SFRARR Program’s five years of implementation. The second day focused on capacity building for social protection systems in Central Asia, addressing disaster risks and exploring ways to strengthen the region’s social resilience.

“European Union participates in this regional forum to manifest our shared commitment to strengthening disaster risk management and preparedness in the region. Europe and Central Asia are among the regions expected to bear the most acute effects of climate change. EU will continue promoting regional cooperation, supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation, fostering sustainable growth, while advancing gender equality, human rights, as well as opportunities for youth and marginalized groups.                                                                                                                  

The “Strengthening Financial Resilience and Accelerating Risk Reduction in Central Asia” Program (SFRARR) exemplifies this collaborative effort. It can contribute to helping Central Asia to mitigate the challenges resulting from climate change”, said H.E. Ms. Aleška Simkić, Ambassador of the European Union to Kazakhstan.

“A major outcome of the EU-funded SFRARR Program has been the development of a regional database on natural hazards, along with detailed data on exposure and vulnerability. This information is critical for evidence-based disaster preparedness and planning, ensuring that communities are better equipped to respond to future risks”, noted Ms. Indu John Abraham, Head of the Central Asia regional Office and Operations manager World Bank. Over the course of five years, SFRARR has made significant contributions including:

• The establishment of the Regional Scientific and Technical Council for Emergency Situations.
• The organization of 15 regional and country-level capacity building workshops and reports presentations for disaster risk management professionals and policymakers.
• A regionally consistent multi-hazard risk assessment which generated a vast amount of knowledge and crucial data (more than 70 datasets) on earthquake, landslide, and flood risks as well as exposure and vulnerability across Central Asia. The data is freely accessible in the World Bank Group’s Open Data Catalogue.

In addition, the Program provided technical assistance to strengthen social and financial resilience by scaling up social protection systems, establishing a disaster insurance pool, adopting Disaster Risk Finance Strategy and develop the disaster insurance market in selected countries.

To learn more about the SFRARR Program, please visit: https://www.gfdrr.org/en/program/SFRARR-Central-Asia.