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11.07.2018

Meeting with the World Bank Experts was held in Belhydromet on 11 July, 2018

Meeting on approving and implementing World Bank technical assistance project «Preparedness of the Republic of Belarus to calamities and disasters» (hereafter – Project) with the World Bank Experts was held in Belhydromet on 11 July, 2018.

The main aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the Republic of Belarus to preparedness measures to calamities and disasters for improvement of weather forecasting, impact of risks, availability and dissemination of data and national disaster-reduction strategy.

Expected grant assistance is about 500 thousand dollars. Project partners are Ministry for Emergency Situations of Belarus, Ministry of Forestry of Belarus and Belhydromet.

Conceptualization of the Project is expected to be completed by fourth quarter of 2018, finalization and approval of the Project are scheduled for 2019. Lead time for the Project implementation – 2 years.

Project has three components:

1. Support a wide process of the political dialogue on disaster risk management in the Republic of Belarus.

2. Improvement of the risk assessment and integrated information system of numerous risk factors registration.

3. Improvement of hydrometeorological hazards and forest fires forecasting and provision of services.

During the meeting, World Bank Experts informed the Belarusian side about their readiness to finance the purchase of mathematical model intended for flood forecasting for Belhydromet under the named Project.

Also Belhydromet will receive financial support for the purchase of software system for the prediction of adverse and dangerous meteorological events used in European adverse and dangerous hazards warning system MeteoAlarm.

The Project envisages funding of activities to improve the effectiveness of forest fires forecasting.

Under the Project, World Bank experts will issue recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation of disaster risk management participants with the aim of improving the quality and prediction lead time of disasters of natural origin and minimizing their impact.

During the meeting, Belhydromet expressed interest in the independent reviews of the Belhydromet effectiveness by World Bank experts and drafting proposals to improve its work including the recommendations to strengthen staff capacity, implement the activities for technology improvements, ameliorate legislative and methodical base.

World Bank experts informed about such experience. Example of the World Bank’s experience in Armenia was mentioned where work on audit has been finished.

The meeting was attended:

by the World Bank - Operations Officer Faridun Sanginov, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Daniel Kull, Environmental Specialist Vladislava Nemova, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Alanna Simpson;

by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection – chief of department on regulation of effects on the atmosphere, climate changes and expertise Sergey Zavyalov;

by Ministry for Emergency Situations of Belarus – chief of international projects sector of international cooperation department Svetlana Shotskaya;

by Belhydromet – head of Belhydromet Roman Labaznov, deputy head Svetlana Kuzmich, chief engineer Ivan Kondratovich, chief of hydrology and agrometeorology service Lyudmila Zhuravovich, chief of weather forecasting service Alexandr Beganskiy and some others.