Uzbekistan is exposed to several natural hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, mudflows, and drought, which have the potential for causing not only significant economic losses but also affecting populations at large. the 2018 Disaster Risk Finance Country Note for Uzbekistan[1] estimates the expected annual economic loss from natural disasters in Uzbekistan is as large as US$92 million (in absolute terms, it is the highest in Central Asia). Heavy floods in April-May 2020 caused evacuation of 900 people in Surkhandarya region and affected more than 70 000 people throughout several regions of the country. These events and the triggered effects highlight the importance of multi-hazard approaches for improving natural hazard risk mitigation.

The main objective of the workshop was to prepare the ground for the development of a harmonized database of structures, infrastructure and crops assets exposed to potentially destructive earthquakes, floods, and landslides. This hands-on workshop aims building capacity of local experts, institutions, and research groups with a role in disaster risk management and emergency planning on exposure mapping and development/use of disaster risk information and its components. The workshop will enable the attendees from Uzbekistan to contribute their expertise further to disaster risk reduction in the Central Asian region.

This was the fourth of a series of five country-based workshops on exposure assessment in Central Asia and provides experts, stakeholders, and young professionals with the details of exposure characterization and, most importantly, with the tools needed to develop such exposure datasets. The workshop on Uzbekistan is organized together with the Institute of Seismology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The workshop series is a contribution to the implementation of the EU-funded Program “Strengthening Financial Resilience and Accelerating Risk Reduction in Central Asia” (SFRARR). The SFRARR Program – managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and implemented by the World Bank in close collaboration with the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction (CESDRR) – aims to support Central Asian countries in building disaster resilience and strengthening capacities for financial protection.

For additional information, please contact:

Ms Chyi-Yun Huang for the World Bank in Central Asiaat chuang@worldbank.org;

[1] Takeuchi K., Skalon T. & Gurenko E., 2018. Disaster Risk Finance Country Note: Uzbekistan, World Bank Group. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/513951591597853635/disaster-risk-finance-country-note-uzbekistan