The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $56.4 million program to help Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan strengthen their disaster response capacity. The ADB press service reported.
According to it, the program will be financed by a $53.1 million grant from the Asian Development Fund (ADF), along with $3.3 million in cofinancing from the Asia-Pacific Climate Facility. ADF provides grants to poor and vulnerable countries in the Asia-Pacific region. From 2021 to 2024, it helped 384,000 people escape poverty and created nearly 500,000 jobs.
The statement notes that both countries are vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, but have limited budgets and lack risk transfer mechanisms to effectively respond to natural disasters.
«The Tiered Assistance Program will strengthen countries’ financial preparedness by combining two pre-designed ADB investment instruments that address varying levels of disaster risk.
It includes the Contingent Disaster Financing (CDF)—budget support for moderate-severity disasters and health emergencies—and the Disaster Relief Bond (DRB), which is issued in the international capital market to provide countries with rapid liquidity in the event of high-severity disasters,» the organization added.
ADB Director General for Central and West Asia, Leah Gutierrez, noted that the program will help reduce the fiscal burden on both countries following natural disasters, including geophysical hazards, extreme weather events, and health emergencies.
«By combining policy reforms and institutional strengthening with innovative financing solutions, the program enables a shift from reactive disaster response to proactive disaster risk financing to enhance the financial resilience of both countries,» she noted.
The program prioritizes the implementation of strategic reforms, strengthening institutional capacity, and improving governance to support a coordinated, transparent, and effective approach to disaster risk management and financing.
It was developed as part of ADB’s technical assistance to develop a disaster risk transfer mechanism in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region. The ADB-supported CAREC Program represents collaboration among countries and development partners to foster sustainable growth and accelerate economic prosperity in the region.
ADB is the leading multilateral development bank supporting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth in Asia and the Pacific. Working with its countries and partners to jointly address complex challenges, it uses innovative financial instruments and strategic partnerships to transform people’s lives, build quality infrastructure, and preserve our planet. Founded in 1966, it is owned by 69 countries, 50 of which are from the region.
