The European Union have signed throughout the European Commission an agreement with the World Bank in which the EU will contribute with €54.5 million to support disaster risk reduction programmes in African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries. The contribution to the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) responds to the need of to making the world safer from the consequences of natural hazards.

Established in 2006, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, housed in the World Bank Sustainable Development Network, is a partnership of 36 countries and 6 international organizations committed to helping developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and adapt to climate change. The GFDRR has three main business lines to achieve its development objectives at the global, regional and country levels.

The ACP-EU Cooperation Strategy (intra-ACP 2008-2013), acknowledges the need for additional action to support African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries in reducing the risks related to natural disasters. In this regard, the ACP Committee of Ambassadors has adopted a “Framework for the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility under the 10th EDF framework”, in order to advance with the DRR agenda in ACP countries. In addition, the European Union has developed a comprehensive and integrated approach on to disaster risk reduction by adopting, in 2009, the “EU Strategy for Supporting Disaster Risk Reduction in Developing Countries” followed this year by the “Implementation Plan” of the Strategy, for the period 2011-1014.

The financial aid will be managed by the GFDRR and it will have three main components focusing on supporting regional and sub-regional initiatives, providing technical assistance for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation policy development and establishing a fast-track recovery instrument for ACP countries to support post-disaster needs assessments and technical assistance in building-back better. The programme will result in reduced vulnerability and exposure, as well as improved resilience of ACP countries to the impact of natural disasters, better preparedness of the populations in disaster-prone areas and the reduction of the cost of response in the event of natural disasters.