The Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund

10/12/2026

🌊 Nepal Flash Flood Leaves 5 Missing and Destroys 45 Homes

A flash flood along the Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal has caused widespread damage to communities and critical infrastructure.

The latest damage :
- 5 people are missing.
- Preliminary assessments now indicate 45 houses were completely destroyed and 27 partially damaged.
- Two motorable bridges and two suspension bridges were damaged or swept away.
- Three hydropower projects were damaged.
- 34 livestock sheds were also damaged.

A major river in Nepal has flooded, sweeping away houses, bridges a...

10/06/2026

WHY GLOBAL BANK EXISTS

Long-term capital for sovereign development. Stronger, more resilient, and more prosperous economies.

This purpose defines Global Bank—a supranational sovereign development institution serving countries across the global economy.

Global Bank combines financing, knowledge, analysis, and partnerships to support countries across different stages of development and advance sustainable, lasting economic progress.

This is who we are. This is why Global Bank exists.

10/01/2026

Celebrating China’s National Day

On the occasion of China’s National Day, Global Bank extends its warmest wishes to the people of China and to Chinese communities around the world.

National days provide an opportunity to recognize a nation’s journey, the aspirations of its people, and the importance of building a future of opportunity, prosperity, resilience, and peace.

In an interconnected global economy, sustainable development increasingly depends on constructive engagement, mutual respect, and international cooperation. Strong institutions, productive capacity, economic resilience, and long-term investment help create the foundations upon which countries can advance prosperity and expand opportunity across generations.

Global Bank remains committed to the principle that development should strengthen national capacity while contributing to a more resilient, prosperous, and peaceful world.

On this National Day, Global Bank wishes the people of China continued prosperity, well-being, and peace.

09/27/2026

Global Bank’s Institutional Culture and Hiring Philosophy: Shared Values. Independent Minds.

Global Bank’s commitment to Quality and Integrity shapes its institutional purpose and its approach to people: independent judgment, intellectual honesty, and learning from one another.

Its mission in sovereign development requires people with different disciplines, experiences, perspectives, and ways of solving problems. Each person should expand what the institution knows, how it thinks, and what it can accomplish.

A central question guides its recruitment philosophy:

What additional expertise, judgment, and capability does this candidate contribute to Global Bank?

It may be expertise the institution does not yet possess. A perspective that reveals something it has missed. The judgment to challenge an assumption—or the ability to turn a difficult problem into a practical solution.

Global Bank calls this intellectual diversity.

Values should converge. Thinking should not.

Global Bank combines a shared commitment to institutional purpose with the expectation that people question, contribute, and exercise professional judgment. Leaders are expected to listen, and colleagues are expected to learn from one another, regardless of seniority.

Global Bank looks for people who share its commitment to Quality and Integrity—and make the institution think better.

About Global Bank

Global Bank is the Bank Group’s long-term sovereign lending institution and a supranational, sovereign-only development bank aligned with G7 and G20 priorities. With Quality and Integrity at the center of its operating architecture, the Bank strengthens sovereign development finance through disciplined member-country engagement, evidence-based decision-making, high-quality development outcomes, upstream project bankability, and responsible ex*****on across economic, social, and environmental priorities.

09/16/2026

The Space for Difference

A civilized society does not require agreement. It requires the strength to live with differences without surrendering to division, coercion, or violence.

• Evidence gives us a basis for understanding.
• Persuasion allows ideas to be examined and tested.
• Law provides a framework for resolving disputes.
• Dialogue preserves the possibility of understanding.

The strength of civilization is not measured by the absence of difficult differences, but by our ability to address them without losing respect for one another.

09/11/2026

Twenty-Five Years After 9/11, We Must Build a Cycle of Life and Peace

Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, we remember those whose lives were taken, stand with the families who continue to carry their loss, and honor those who acted with courage in service to others.

September 11 reminds us that terrorism does not end with the immediate act of violence.

Violence can generate fear. Fear can deepen division. Division can weaken trust.

Disproportionate reactions can create new grievances. Economic and social disruption can deepen deprivation and exclusion.

This is how destructive conditions can reinforce one another.

This is the Cycle of Death and Violence.

But identifying a destructive cycle is not enough.

Destructive cycles cannot be overcome sustainably by interruption alone. They must be met by stronger constructive cycles.

That is why we must deliberately cultivate a Cycle of Life and Peace.

Human Dignity → Opportunity → Participation → Stakeholding → Shared Prosperity → Institutional Trust → Civilized Dialogue → Social Resilience → Peaceful Progress

At Global Bank, this is not a claim that development mechanically creates peace.

Global Bank is not a peace institution, and Quality Economic Growth is not a security doctrine.
But economic and social development can help cultivate more stakeholders in life and peace.

When people have access to education, productive opportunity, meaningful participation, institutions they can trust, and a credible future, peace becomes connected to something tangible: their families, livelihoods, communities, and future.

“The wider the circle of people with a meaningful stake in peaceful progress, the stronger the foundations upon which durable peace can be built.”

The same principle requires restraint.

We cannot allow extremism—from any direction—to uncivilize society.

A strong society must be capable of defending itself while preserving human dignity, proportionality, fairness, lawful dissent, civilized dialogue, and the rule of law.

“Extremism must never be allowed to uncivilize society.”

At Global Bank, the Cycle of Life and Peace falls within the social-development dimension of Quality Economic Growth.

The question is not only whether capital moved or a project was completed.

The deeper question is whether development produced durable human, social, and institutional value that strengthened the conditions for future development and peaceful progress.

On this anniversary, remembrance should inspire responsibility.

We must reject terrorism without abandoning humanity.

We must defend security without abandoning proportionality.

We must strengthen dialogue rather than deepen division.

We must widen opportunity rather than allow exclusion to deepen.

And we must cultivate as many stakeholders in life and peace as possible.

“Our responsibility is not only to break the Cycle of Death and Violence, but to build the Cycle of Life and Peace—where human dignity creates opportunity, opportunity creates stakeholding, and stakeholding gives people a reason to protect and strengthen the conditions for life and peace.”

The lesson of September 11 should therefore not end with what humanity must resist.

It should lead us toward what humanity must build.

A stronger Cycle of Life and Peace.

— Ron Nechemia
President, Global Bank

08/28/2026

Statement by Global Bank President Ron Nechemia on the Devastating Floods in Nepal and China

Global Bank is deeply saddened by the devastating floods and debris flows that have struck communities in Nepal and China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. The disaster has caused a tragic loss of life, left people missing and injured, displaced families, damaged homes and critical infrastructure, and disrupted livelihoods and essential services.

“On behalf of Global Bank, I extend my deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and my sincere hope that those still missing are found safely,” said Global Bank President Ron Nechemia. “I also extend my wishes for the full recovery of the injured and express my profound sympathy to every person whose home, livelihood, or community has been affected.”

President Nechemia expressed his deep respect and gratitude to the emergency responders, rescue teams, medical professionals, humanitarian personnel, volunteers, and local communities working under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous conditions to save lives, locate the missing, and assist those in need.

The disaster is a powerful reminder that severe weather and mountain hazards can affect communities across borders. Reducing future losses will require stronger risk monitoring, timely early-warning systems, effective emergency communication, coordinated preparedness, resilient critical infrastructure, and sustained investment in the capacity of institutions and communities to act before hazards become catastrophes.

“Disaster-risk reduction must begin before an emergency, and reconstruction must address the vulnerabilities revealed by it,” President Nechemia said. “Across the Himalayan region, the risk information and operational lessons generated by this disaster should guide where and how infrastructure, essential services, and affected communities are rebuilt.”

Global Bank stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and China during this period of rescue, mourning, and recovery. Through the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Facility (GBDRRRF), the Bank advances an integrated approach linking risk analysis and preparedness with recovery and reconstruction.

The relevance of that approach to this disaster is direct. Evidence concerning flood paths, slope failures, infrastructure damage, and service disruptions should inform reconstruction decisions. Restoring homes, transport links, utilities, and public services without addressing the risks exposed by the disaster could recreate the conditions for future loss.

The immediate priorities remain saving lives, assisting displaced families, locating those still missing, and restoring essential services. As recovery proceeds, reconstruction should protect communities more effectively and strengthen their capacity to withstand future hazards.

May every affected family and community find strength, comfort, and hope in the days ahead.

08/15/2026

Statement by Global Bank President Ron Nechemia on the Earthquake in Indonesia

I am deeply saddened by the devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck off the coast of Flores in eastern Indonesia, causing tragic loss of life, injuries, displacement, and widespread damage to homes and essential infrastructure.

“On behalf of Global Bank, I extend my deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and my sincere wishes for the recovery of those who have been injured,” said Global Bank President Ron Nechemia. “The human consequences of this disaster extend far beyond the moment of impact, as families await news, survivors confront displacement, and communities face the loss of homes, essential services, and security.”

We also recognize the extraordinary dedication of emergency personnel, medical teams, public authorities, humanitarian organizations, and community members working under extremely difficult conditions to rescue survivors, deliver lifesaving assistance, and reach communities affected by damaged roads, power outages, and disrupted communications.

This disaster demonstrates how rapidly an earthquake can become a wider humanitarian, infrastructure, economic, and development crisis. When buildings collapse while access routes, communications, and essential services are simultaneously disrupted, each failure intensifies the others: rescuers face greater difficulty reaching survivors, medical assistance is delayed, and human and economic losses deepen.

“An earthquake gives communities almost no time to improvise. The ability to protect lives therefore depends on decisions made long before the ground begins to shake—how buildings and infrastructure are designed, whether essential systems can withstand disruption, and whether affected communities can be reached when every minute matters,” President Nechemia said. “Recovery must not simply replace what was destroyed; it must reduce the vulnerabilities that made the consequences so severe.”

Disaster risk reduction therefore cannot be treated as separate from development. It is part of responsible development. This principle guides the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund, through which we seek to support investments that reduce vulnerability before disasters occur and help recovery and reconstruction leave communities safer, stronger, and more resilient.

Global Bank stands in solidarity with the people of Indonesia during this difficult time. The immediate priority must remain saving lives, assisting affected communities, and restoring essential services. The longer-term responsibility will be to rebuild in ways that reduce the consequences of future disasters.

Ron Nechemia
President
Global Bank Group

Photo credit: Getty

08/15/2026

🌏 Indonesia Earthquake: A Disaster Unfolding Across Flores

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores region early Saturday, leaving at least 47 people dead and many more injured.

The earthquake triggered a series of cascading disasters across the region:

🔹 Landslides buried or cut off remote villages and blocked the Trans-Flores highway, severely complicating rescue and relief operations.

🔹 Tsunami waves reached several coastal communities, with waves of up to 1.61 meters (5.3 feet) reported in Riung. Boats were stranded ashore, homes were surrounded by mud and debris, and coastal infrastructure was damaged.

🔹 Buildings and public facilities collapsed, including homes, schools, medical centers and churches, leaving thousands of residents displaced.

🔹 Power and communication disruptions hampered the flow of information and made it more difficult for emergency teams to assess damage and reach affected communities.

🔹 Remote and isolated communities remain particularly vulnerable, with damaged infrastructure and limited heavy equipment slowing search-and-rescue operations.

More than 235 aftershocks were reported, including one reaching magnitude 6.2, adding further risk to already damaged communities and infrastructure.

The disaster demonstrates how a major earthquake can rapidly develop into a multi-hazard emergency, combining ground shaking, landslides, tsunami impacts, infrastructure collapse, displacement and disrupted access.

Our thoughts are with the families and communities affected, and with the emergency responders working to reach those still in need.

Photo credit: Getty

08/08/2026

🔥 Wildfire Smoke Is a Disaster Risk Beyond the Flames

Wildfires do not end at the fire line. Smoke can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, exposing communities far from the source to hazardous air pollution and serious public-health risks.

Recent wildfire activity across North America and Europe reminds us that disaster impacts are increasingly interconnected. Fine particulate matter in wildfire smoke can pe*****te deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, placing vulnerable populations and health systems at greater risk.

Disaster resilience must therefore extend beyond firefighting and evacuation. Communities need effective early-warning systems, reliable air-quality monitoring, clear public communication, access to clean-air shelters, resilient health infrastructure, and contingency plans for prolonged smoke events.

At GBDRRRF, we believe disaster-risk reduction must address the full chain of impacts—from the initial hazard to the air people breathe, the services they depend on, and the communities that must recover afterward.

Preparedness saves lives. Resilience protects communities. Disaster-risk reduction must account for impacts that extend far beyond the point of origin.



Photo credit: Getty