The World Bank announced the expansion of its partnership with the Tunisian government through the provision of an additional $50 million in financing, as part of the Integrated Disaster Resilience Program, whose total cost amounts to $125 million.
This funding aims to strengthen the country’s capacity to cope with the rising risks of runoff and floods, intensified by climate change.
According to a statement issued today by the World Bank, this new extension will widen flood protection in urban areas to cover three of the most exposed regions: Tunis West, Gabès and Djerba. The arrangement will build on the lessons learned from the first phase of the program conducted in the cities of Bizerte, Monastir and Nabeul.
This support comes amid a context of worsening climate challenges facing Tunisia. In January 2026, the country recorded unprecedented floods, with rainfall levels the highest in more than seventy years, causing significant disruptions in several governorates.
The extension of the program is expected to benefit more than 660,000 additional people, notably in densely populated urban areas and strategic economic hubs.
The program aims to ensure the continuity of economic activity, to protect jobs, and to create new employment opportunities, particularly in the maintenance and operation of flood-protection infrastructure.
The financing will also contribute to reducing economic losses and service disruptions, by strengthening the integration between investments in infrastructure, the modernization of meteorological and early warning systems, and the development of financial protection tools to cope with disasters.
