13 November 2012: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released an independent evaluation study titled “Special Evaluation Study on ADB’s Response to Natural Disasters and Disaster Risks,” which reviews the Bank’s disaster-related projects and programmes, and explores ways to improve ADB operations in the natural disaster management cycle.

The study focuses on three types of natural events: floods, storms (cyclones, typhoons), and earthquakes (including tsunami), and evaluates them based on relevance, responsiveness and results. It is based on the recognition that the incidence and impact of natural disasters are increasing because of persistent poverty, population growth and climate change.

According to the evaluation, ADB’s disaster prevention projects and activities accounted for one-third of the investment, compared with two-thirds spent on disaster recovery. The study indicates that ADB’s disaster-recovery projects have been found to be more successful than other ADB-supported projects. As a possible explanation to this, the evaluation points to the limited scope of disaster-recovery projects, for example in restoring particular types of infrastructure, as opposed to rehabilitating livelihoods.

The study calls for governments and ADB to do more to highlight the need for investment in disaster prevention, not just in infrastructure, but also in relation to social development. It also calls for projects and programmes to place greater emphasis on improving disaster prevention, underscoring the need for wider recognition that natural disasters, particularly storms and floods, are becoming endemic and that their increasing frequency and severity can undo economic and development gains. [ADB Press Release] [Publication: Special Evaluation Study on ADB’s Response to Natural Disasters and Disaster Risks]