EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report highlights the results achieved during fiscal year 2018. It provides an overview of GFDRR’s activities as implemented in countries across its eight areas of engagement. The report also outlines GFDRR’s contribution to the global resilience agenda over the period, and its efforts to develop innovative solutions, tools, and analytical products for strengthening the global knowledge base for disaster risk management.
Introduction
Fiscal year 2018 (FY18) was punctuated by a succession of serious disasters. In the Caribbean, Hurricane Irma caused almost total destruction on the island of Barbuda, and in the Pacific, Cyclone Gita caused $186 million in damages in Tonga. Monsoon flooding devastated South Asia, with 41 million affected in Bangladesh alone. The Puebla earthquake struck central Mexico, with the loss of 370 lives and the collapse of buildings in Mexico City, and in Guatemala, as many as 3,000 people died in the eruption of the Fuego volcano.
These were just some of the better-documented disasters—flooding in China, Peru, and Zimbabwe, and landslides in Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Sierra Leone may have received less coverage but were no less devastating for affected communities. For many observers, it was the year that climate change became a frightening reality rather than a theoretical future menace. It is already contributing to the frequency and intensity of disasters, its impact magnified by rapid and increasing urbanization in the developing world, and exacerbated in countries afflicted by fragility, violence, and conflict.
Against this backdrop, GFDRR’s portfolio continues to grow at the rate of 10-15 percent per annum. In FY18 139 new grants and commitments totaling $53 million were approved, bringing the active portfolio to $252 million, supporting 394 activities and 136 countries.
These grants address the full range of natural hazards, with flooding, earthquakes and landslides receiving the greatest share. GFDRR continued to track the contribution of the portfolio in helping countries achieve the Sendai Framework’s priorities and targets for disaster risk reduction. 45 percent of grants contributed to the reduction of damage to critical infrastructure and basic services, and 41 percent helped to reduce economic losses from disasters. The portfolio continued to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
About this Report
This Annual Report highlights the progress and results achieved during FY18. It provides an overview of grant making activities in six regions and across GFDRR’s eight targeted areas of engagement, and a section of Special Features explores various areas of work in greater depth. The report also provides information on the Facility’s financial health. Over the past fiscal year, GFDRR strengthened its reporting, monitoring, and evaluation (M&E) systems through the development of an updated Logical Framework and underpinning results indicators. These align with the FY18–21 strategy and provide the Facility with a better understanding of outcome-level progress and trends within the portfolio. GFDRR is committed to further strengthening its M&E practice, ensuring that evidence and lessons from across the portfolio are available to inform management decisions. Results of the FY18 program, as measured against the results indicators, are available in the report’s annex. Additionally, data points gleaned through the M&E system are available throughout the report, providing more information on GFDRR’s portfolio trends and progress.