Washington, February 2, 2000---A new international consortium designed to
reduce the human and economic costs of natural disasters in the developing
world will be launched here tomorrow by the World Bank and an international
coalition of governments, international organizations, private insurance
companies, universities, and non-governmental organizations.
The aim of the ProVention Consortium, as the partnership will be known, will
be to equip developing countries with the means to better cope with natural
disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, and reduce the loss of
life and destruction they cause.
In 1998, natural disasters killed more than 50,000 people and destroyed
$65 billion worth of property and infrastructure. Some 95 percent
of disaster-related deaths occurred in developing countries, where the
poorest of the poor are the worst affected. The World Bank has lent more
than $19 billion for post-disaster reconstruction over the last 20 years,
often more than once to the same country after successive disasters.
To see more details on the new consortium and its aims, please access the
following URL:
http://media.worldbank.org/secure/
Warm regards,
Phillip Hay
Manager,World Bank Online Media Briefing Center
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