The World Bank wants to use disaster aid to build social safety nets

The World Bank and the World Food Programme are linking disaster aid with social safety nets. This means that when a disaster hits, money will go directly to people through existing social programs, rather than through separate, slower emergency relief efforts.

Governments usually scramble to set up emergency aid after a disaster, which is slow and often misses the most vulnerable. This new approach means that countries can pre-plan how to use existing social programs, like cash transfers or food assistance, to deliver aid quickly when a crisis hits. It shifts the focus from reactive emergency response to proactive integration, making aid faster and more reliable for people in danger.