CHISINAU, September 5, 2024—The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $40 million financing package for the Strengthening Moldova’s Disaster Risk Management and Resilience (SMORE) Project. The initiative aims to enhance Moldova’s preparedness for natural hazards and climate-related shocks that threaten lives, homes, and critical infrastructure.
The SMORE Project adopts a comprehensive approach to improving disaster risk management in Moldova through three components:
1. Installing and implementing a national cell broadcast-based public warning system: This system will be integrated with existing meteorological, hydrological, and geological information systems to enhance preparedness against natural hazards like floods, fires, and earthquakes. The project also supports procuring emergency response vehicles and specialized equipment for search, rescue, and logistics operations.
2. Upgrading Moldova’s meteorological and hydrological services: SMORE aims to strengthen weather forecasting capacity and modernize the early warning system. This upgrade will enable improved decision-making for policymakers, businesses, and farmers increasingly impacted by drought.
3. Aligning the country’s seismic design and retrofitting standards with EU building codes: This involves developing national methodologies for seismic and disaster risk mapping and rapid visual screening of buildings for seismic vulnerability. The project will also help redesign the country’s disaster reserve fund to provide transparent funding in response to hazards expected to become more intense due to climate change.
“Moldova is among the most climate-vulnerable countries in Europe. The country has witnessed one significant negative climate and disaster-related event on average every three years since 2000,” said Inguna Dobraja, World Bank Group Country Manager for Moldova. “Improving Moldova’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities is critical for protecting human lives and preventing the loss of its development gains to disasters and climate change events.”
The SMORE Project is supported through grant funds provided by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Technical Assistance Financing Facility (TAFF) for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness. TAFF is financed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and administered by GFDRR.
Since 1992, the World Bank has allocated over $2.1 billion to more than 70 operations in Moldova covering areas such as regulatory reform, business development, modernization of government services, tax administration, land registration, education, roads, health, agriculture, water sanitation, and energy. As of September 2024, there are 14 active World Bank operations in Moldova aimed at improving lives across the country—including school children, farmers, persons with disabilities, and refugees from Ukraine. Current engagements by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), members of the World Bank Group include projects in financial sector advisory services as well as private-public sector collaboration.