In Mozambique, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) has enabled communities to build more climate resilience into their “grey” traditional infrastructure and their “green” infrastructure based in natural systems, such as mangroves.
As part of the IDA-financed Mozambique Disaster Risk Management and Resilience Program, GFDRR provided skills development and knowledge transfer initiatives on resilient-design building methods and standards. Some 1,607 classrooms were rehabilitated or built new using these standards, and all withstood the severe cyclones of 2019 and 2023.
GFDRR also provided financial and technical assistance to Beira, a coastal city prone to flooding. With GFDRR support, Beira completed a community-based mangrove restoration project, rehabilitated the first phase of its drainage system, constructed flood control stations, established a water retention basin, and developed a 17-hectare urban green park. These initiatives have had a substantial impact on reducing flood risks for over 234,000 people, nearly 40% of Beira’s population.
Such nature-based solutions are increasingly seen as integral to mitigating disasters and supporting climate resilience. GFDRR’s review of Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience in the World Bank Portfolio shows that more than 100 World Bank projects used nature-based solutions from 2012 to 2021 – a number that has increased significantly since 2018.
The activities in this story were implemented with the generous support of the following development partners:
Australia, Austria, Canada, European Commission/European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United States.
For more information on how trust funds help coordinate, innovate and catalyze development action, please see the World Bank Group’s FY24 Trust Fund Annual Report.
