World Bank/GFDRR Disaster & Climate Risk Data Fellowship 2026

If you’re a climate or disaster risk data professional from a vulnerable or fragile country, the 2026 World Bank/GFDRR Risk Data Fellows program is now open for applications—offering you a unique opportunity to join World Bank projects, enhance your skills, and empower your community with actionable climate risk insights. Here's the details.

🎓 Fellowship Summary

• Host Institution: Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) under the World Bank, executed by the Digital Earth Team, supported by Swiss Re Foundation.

• Placement Duration: Initial 6-month part-time placement (~75 working days), with potential for a second 6-month extension depending on performance.

• Professional Level: Early-career professionals—data scientists, geospatial analysts, and similar—working as World Bank Short-Term Consultants (STC).

• Target Group: Professionals from climate-vulnerable, fragile, and conflict-affected (FCV) countries in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

• Fields of Focus: Climate and disaster risk data science, geospatial analysis, risk modeling, data wrangling, prototyping, and implementation of risk data tools.

• Value & Coverage: Fellowship covers approximately 75 STC days (~$22,000) funded by GFDRR plus similar funding by the Task Team for project activities.

• Duration: 6 months (initial), with possibility of extension for another 6 months.

• Deadline: September 26, 2025

• Start Date: Typically soon after selection; for the 2026 cycle likely early to mid-2026, depending on application schedule.

📚 Fellowship Overview

This fellowship equips you with methodological and technical expertise in climate and disaster risk. Working part-time as an STC, you'll directly support World Bank Advice and Analytics or Financing activities. Your contributions will enhance availability, dissemination, and use of climate risk knowledge in climate-vulnerable regions. Hands-on support and training will enable you to learn innovative World Bank technologies and data standards, including the Risk Data Library Standard.

Expect to deliver data wrangling, cleanup, prototyping, demonstrations, and implementation support while serving as a “data evangelist” within project task teams.

🌍 Eligible Countries

For the second fellowship cohort (2026), applicants must be nationals from the following Fragile and Conflict-Affected (FCV) countries in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East:

• Burkina Faso

• Burundi

• Cameroon

• Chad

• Comoros

• Congo, Democratic Republic of the

• Congo, Republic of the

• Ethiopia

• Guinea-Bissau

• Iraq

• Kosovo

• Lebanon

• Mali

• Mozambique

• Niger

• Nigeria

• Somalia

• South Sudan

• Sudan

• Syrian Arab Republic

• São Tomé and Príncipe

• Zimbabwe

🎁 Benefits of the Fellowship

• Financial Coverage: Fellowship covers approximately 75 STC days (~$22,000) funded by GFDRR plus similar funding by the Task Team for project activities.

• Professional Exposure: Work within World Bank operations—Advice/A & Analytics or Financing—a rare entry point into global climate risk programming.

• Technical Training: Receive advanced training on tools like the Risk Data Library Standard and data platforms.

• Impact and Visibility: Directly contribute to improving climate risk analysis in your home region.

• Professional Network: Engage with global experts at World Bank, GFDRR, Swiss Re, and the broader climate risk community.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• Educational Background: Master’s, Ph.D., (or present graduate scholar at M.A. or Ph.D degree) within the fields of climate change, disaster risk administration, geospatial applied sciences, laptop science, civil engineering, risk modelers, or different related fields.

• Professional background: Data scientists, geospatial analysts, or professionals with strong climate/disaster risk data skills.

• Country of nationality: Must be from one of the listed FCV countries.

• Commitment: Willingness to support and contribute to community-level climate risk knowledge dissemination.

• Early-career: Demonstrated interest in working at the intersection of data science and disaster risk management.

📝 Application Procedure

1. Apply via the online application form

2. Prepare your documents—likely including:

   • CV/Resume highlighting relevant experience

   • A statement of purpose focusing on your data skills and commitment to supporting your community

   • Educational certificates

   • Letters of recommendation (if requested)

   • Any relevant portfolio or examples of past work

3. If selected, begin a 6-month placement as an STC, with performance-based extension possibility.

🔗 Apply Now

🔗 Official Link

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