International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

Hybrid press briefing by Francisco Pichon, Resident Coordinator for Cuba and Gregoire Goodstein, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Haiti. They will brief on Hurricane Melissa. Watch the Press Conference: Francisco Pichon, Resident Coordinator for Cuba and Gregoire Goodstein, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Haiti on Hurricane Melissa! Press Conferences .

   Towards a risk-informed approach to development: Financing Resilience Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow - Second Committee Side Event, General Assembly, 80th session. Agenda Opening segment Panel 1: Investing in Resilience to Safeguard SDGs - The economic and development rationale for risk reduction, prevention and resilience investments Moderated Interactive Discussion with panelists Panel 2: Tailored Solutions for Vulnerable and Local Contexts - Financing strategies, concessional mechanisms and partnerships. Moderated Interactive Discussion with panelists Closing Session Objectives of the Event Strengthen global policies to scale up investment in resilience and ensure risk-informed investments for sustainable development. Showcase successful initiatives at a global and local level, that have demonstrated impact in saving lives and reducing losses. Highlight tailored support needs for vulnerable countries and explore innovative financing solutions, partnerships, and integra...

The frequency of disasters has quadrupled in the past two decades, yet the healthy ecosystems that naturally help reduce these risks are vanishing. Investing in nature offers a smart, cost-effective way to protect lives and strengthen economies .

  Since 2015, the ARISE Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies has mobilized companies of all sizes to integrate disaster risk reduction (DRR) into operations and investment s. Supported by national and regional private sector networks, ARISE Colombia shows how transforming risk into action is not only possible—but profitable. - Save lives - Protect economies - Strengthen communities - Build long-term resilience This video highlights how the ARISE community is turning resilience into a strategic advantage for a safer, more sustainable future.

   In 2023, disasters caused $202 billion in direct economic losses — but that’s only the beginning. When you count supply chain breakdowns, lost livelihoods, and long-term impacts, the real cost soars to $2.3 trillion, draining over 0.2% of global GDP. For 61 vulnerable countries, extreme disasters hit more often than every decade — pushing governments into fiscal crises and leaving communities trapped in cycles of loss and instability. But there’s another way forward:  🌱 Invest in disaster risk reduction (DRR) .  In Pakistan, restoring mangroves has:  Delivered a 20-fold return on investment   Boosted local incomes  Saved millions in avoided disaster damage  DRR isn’t a cost — it’s an investment in lives, livelihoods, and prosperity for generations to come. 

  Every year, disasters cost more than we think. When we include damage to ecosystems, health impacts, and economic disruption, the global bill exceeds $1 trillion annually — and the hardest-hit communities are often the least equipped to recover. The truth is: most of these losses can be prevented. In this video, experts from around the world reveal: The three harmful cycles driving disaster losses How hidden financial risks threaten businesses and economies Why traditional insurance is failing in a changing climate The need for disaster risk financing strategies that protect people, nature, and economies. Together, we can break the cycle by integrating risk reduction, risk transfer, and risk management into all decision-making — for a more resilient future

  In this powerful story, Zehra takes us through two possible futures: One where heatwaves, droughts, and hunger take everything Another where resilience, innovation, and adaptation transform her life and community. The difference? Investment in climate resilience Cooler homes and greener villages  Water-smart farming Education for every child  Strong communities that adapt to extreme heat and drought  Climate change is already shaping our future — but we can still choose the path we take. Resilience pays. The time to act is now.

  Climate disasters are accelerating — but the future is still in our hands. Since the pre-industrial era, the frequency and intensity of climate disasters have surged. In 2025, heatwaves once considered ‘once in a century’ now strike over 18 times more often. Floods are 2.5 times more frequent, and droughts nearly three times as common in some regions. Without action, projections for mid-century show some nations could lose up to 19% of income per capita — crippling progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. But this future isn’t inevitable.  Invest in resilience  Expand clean energy  Strengthen early warning systems  By understanding climate risks today, we have the power to protect people, economies, and the planet tomorrow. Learn more: https://www.undrr.org/gar2025

The Global Assessment Report (GAR) 2025: Resilience Pays: Financing and Investing for our Future highlights how smarter investment can reset the destructive cycle of disasters, debt, uninsurability and humanitarian need that threatens a climate-changed world . Disaster risk is increasing as more frequent and intense hazard events, unsafe urbanisation, and ineffective development put more people and assets in harm's way. Disasters have profound macroeconomic impacts , with direct losses estimated at $202 billion. When cascading and ecosystem costs are taken into account, escalating disaster costs now surpass $2.3 trillion annually. There is an urgent need to transform how disaster risk is addressed amid a rapidly changing climate . Risk is no longer a peripheral issue but a systemic challenge that affects financial stability, sustainability, and equity. By embedding risk reduction into core policy and investment decisions , it is possible to break the recurring cycle of shocks, l...

  Disasters don’t just cause immediate damage — they trigger dangerous cycles that deepen crises and make recovery harder. In this video, we explore the three downward spirals that turn disasters into systemic collapses:  Decreasing income, increasing debt spiral – Disasters shrink household incomes and tax revenues, forcing governments into risky borrowing and draining recovery budgets.  Unsustainable risk transfer spiral – Rising disaster losses push up insurance costs, leaving communities unprotected.  Response–repeat spiral – Aid flows in after disasters, but without tackling vulnerabilities, the cycle starts again.  The solution?  Invest in resilient infrastructure and social safety nets Develop innovative insurance products that incentivize risk reduction  Act before the crisis with anticipatory action and adaptive social protection  By breaking these spirals, we can transform disaster losses into long-term resilience and growth.

Climate-driven hazards grow fiercer, but early action—warnings, education, preparedness—can shield lives and protect property. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is proud to support the Early Warnings For All initiative and emphasise that early warnings are a cost-effective investment for the future . That is why the theme of this DRRday is "Fund Resilience, Not Disasters", because Resilience Pays.

The theme for the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) , which is commemorated on 13 October, is “ Fund Resilience, Not Disasters ”. This theme highlights the urgent need to address the escalating costs of disasters by shifting focus from reactive response to proactive investments in disaster risk reduction. Specifically, building on the outcomes of the Oslo Policy Forum , the 2025 IDDRR will emphasize two key calls to action: 1. Increase funding for disaster risk reduction, within public budgets and international assistance. 2. Ensure all public development and private sector investments are risk-informed and resilient. Responding to these two calls can transform the disaster risk landscape by accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework over the next 5 years and reducing the human and economic cost of disasters . This theme aligns with major global initiatives in 2025, including: • The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction , which underscor...

• Increase funding for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in national budgets and international assistance (development and humanitarian).  - Domestic funding for disaster risk reduction should be “ring-fenced” in national budgets and mainstreamed into sectoral budgets. Tools such as budget tagging and the development of national DRR financing strategies can help.  -  Countries with high vulnerability to disasters, such as the Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, countries in Africa, and countries that are fragile and conflict-affected, deserve increased international assistance.  • Ensure development is risk-informed .  -  Development plans should be aligned with disaster risk reduction priorities. Otherwise, development investments that are risk-blind could lead to the creation of new disaster risks or exacerbate existing ones, thus increasing the odds of a disaster.  • Encourage the private sector to be resil...

 • Resilience pays dividends, but only when countries invest in it.  Every $1 invested in making infrastructure disaster-resilient in developing countries saves $4 in economic impacts (World Bank).   By investing in strengthening early warning systems, the Global Commission onAdaptation found that early warnings, issued within 24 hours of an impending hazard, can reduce the damage by around 30%.  Investments in anticipatory action and enhancing social safety nets can help communities bounce back swiftly after disasters.  • Investing in resilience has benefits across the Humanitarian-Development nexus – it reduces disaster losses, protects development, and reduces humanitarian needs.

  • Disasters are a growing threat to economic prosperity and sustainable development , with costs underestimated and unsustainable. • Disaster costs are pushing countries into spirals of increased debt , lower incomes, increased insurability, and repeated humanitarian crises. • Declining international assistance makes it even more critical to reduce disaster losses through disaster risk reduction investments. • Cutting funding for disaster risk reduction leads to more expensive disasters in the future , along with more humanitarian needs. • To reduce disaster costs, countries must increase funding for disaster risk reduction and ensure all development investments are risk-informed

  Countries are facing more record-breaking disasters. This is driven by an increase in extreme weather events and by development decisions that are not risk-informed, which increases the exposure and vulnerability of people and economic assets to a range of hazards. Disasters are becoming significantly more expensive. While direct disaster costs have grown to approximately $202 billion annually, the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 estimates that the true cost, is 11 times higher at nearly $2.3 trillion. Developing countries bear the brunt of these impacts due to their smaller economies, even though developed countries suffer the most expensive disasters in absolute value.

  At the same time, investments in disaster risk reduction (DRR) have not kept pace with increasing disaster risks. This was one of the key findings from the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction , and a reason why many countries have been unable to reduce disaster impacts. In governments, often less than 1% of public budgets is allocated to DRR, which in most countries is only enough to meet 10 to 25% of the risk reduction needs. Moreover, international funding for DRR from developed countries has also been limited and, in some cases, decreasing, despite this funding being critical to protecting development progress and reducing humanitarian needs. According to UNDRR analysis, between 2019 and 2023, only 2% of Official Development Assistance projects listed DRR as an objective. Within the humanitarian sector, the amount of funding for disaster prevention and preparedness has gone down over the years – from an already low level of 3.6% between 2015 an...

 Adding to the problem, most economic and investment plans remain blind to disaster risks. This is especially common in the private sector, which is responsible for about 75% of investments through the creation of economic assets. When these investment decisions, be they public or private, fail to account for climate and disaster risks, they not only put the investments at risk of loss from disasters, but could also lead to the creation of new disaster risks. We see this, for instance, through the expansion of urban development into hazard-prone areas or the construction of infrastructure that is not disaster-resilient. Closing this blind gap in the public sector requires aligning national economic plans with disaster risk reduction strategies and climate change adaptation plans so that development is risk-informed and resilient. For the private sector, the use of regulations, risk information, and the offering of financial incentives can encourage businesses to make risk-informed ...

From early warnings to risk-informed planning , the solutions to prevent disasters already exist. We have seen this firsthand while working together, when in the aftermath of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake , Pakistan significantly strengthened their disaster management systems. In India too, we worked together in our respective roles as UNDP and government representatives to support establishment of national and local disaster management authorities, early warning mechanisms and building codes that institutionalized resilience, protecting millions of lives and critical infrastructure . Much progress has been made, but the task is far from finished. As global humanitarian needs continue to outpace resources, scaling up investment in resilience is the only way to reduce human suffering and safeguard hard-won development gains. Read the original story here

Early warning systems not only save lives but also reduce economic losses. An early warning of just 24 hours can reduce potential damages by 30% . That is why the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are among the many UN agencies working to expand Early Warnings for All by 2027. Across seven of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations -- Antigua & Barbuda, Cambodia, Chad, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji and Somalia -- multi-hazard early warning systems are being strengthened, benefitting more than 26 million people. Forecasts, risk assessments and last-mile alerts help communities act early. We must build on such efforts and scale up successes. Like the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative , which has expanded early warning services to nearly 400 million people across 77 countries -- more than a third of which are affected by conflict or fragility -- since 2015. Every extra hour of e...

During disasters, it is not only buildings that collapse but also livelihoods. Farmers, shopkeepers and informal workers often lose everything overnight. Entire nations also see years of progress wiped out as public finances are diverted towards reconstruction. Insurance can protect both people and economies , helping communities recover quickly and preventing wider economic disruptions. In Samoa, a parametric insurance model is protecting farmers, fisherfolk and small businesses against the financial impacts of extreme weather. The scheme pays out a portion of the insured sum 24-48 hours before a disaster strikes , based on early warning triggers. This keeps businesses afloat, helps farmers recover faster and prevents economies from sliding into debt. Countries are also beginning to shield their budgets against disaster shocks . In the Caribbean, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) offers parametric insurance that provides rapid payouts based on predefined...

Governments cannot build resilience alone. About 75% of all capital investment globally comes from the private sector , meaning businesses, financial institutions and investors have a prime role. Embedding disaster risk reduction into everyday business decisions protects workers, customers and supply chains from disruptions. For financial institutions , it means factoring climate and disaster risks into lending and investment choices, which helps stabilize markets and economies. And for investors , demanding risk-informed portfolios ensures capital flows toward safer, more sustainable projects. Neptune Flood Insurance is a US-based company that has shown rapid growth by offering affordable, technology-driven flood insurance. Insuring homes and other infrastructure worth $100 billion across the US , it is now targeting a $2.76 billion valuation in the stock market , demonstrating that investors are beginning to see disaster risk reduction as a smart place to put their money. When p...

For risks that cannot be avoided, dedicating funds to address them is far more cost-effective than bearing the full brunt of disaster losses. World Bank analysis shows that making infrastructure resilient adds just 3% to costs but yields $4 in benefits for every $1 invested. In Chile, authorities regularly test the resilience of infrastructure across six systems – water, energy, transport, health, education and telecommunications. The results: hospitals keep running during earthquakes, transport corridors stay open during floods, and power grids withstand storms.

Every new bridge, school or housing project carries a choice: address disaster risks or ignore them. Too often, risks are ignored. Homes and infrastructure are still built in hazard-prone areas, causing repeated destruction and wasted resources. It is much cheaper and easier to protect development by avoiding risks from day one. In Tunisia, climate and hazard risk analysis is guiding both national strategies and local planning . Municipalities are now using flood and drought risk maps to guide land use decisions. This means construction projects are no longer being approved in floodplains, and new roads are built away from unstable terrain. Risk-proofing development ensures progress is not undone by the next disaster.

As the climate crisis accelerates, disasters are multiplying and amplifying - devastating lives and livelihoods, erasing decades of development gains in an instant. The cost to the global economy is staggering: an estimated $2 trillion every year, when indirect costs are taken into account. Yet funding to reduce repercussions remains dangerously low. Just 2% of development assistance and often less than 1% of government budgets are dedicated to disaster risk reduction. That's not just a gap - it is a miscalculation. Every dollar invested in resilient infrastructure in developing countries saves $4 when disasters strike. The theme of this year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction reminds us of the imperative to fund resilience. Governments and donors must scale-up investments in disaster risk reduction. The public and private sectors must integrate risk into every decision - to reduce exposure and vulnerability to hazards. And resilience must be embedded into the fou...

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is calling on organisations, governments, civil society, youth groups, the private sector and all stakeholders to submit events in support of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) 2025, to be held on 13 October 2025. This year's theme is " Fund Resilience, Not Disasters. " Disasters are becoming more frequent, more costly, and far more devastating. While direct disaster losses have been estimated at around US$202 billion per year , the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 indicates that the true cost is nearly US$2.3 trillion annually. Yet investing in disaster risk reduction (DRR) remains under-prioritised in national budgets and international assistance. This year, IDDRR 2025 calls for a decisive shift: to fund resilience now to prevent paying more later when disasters strike . Key messages Disasters are a growing threat to economic prosperity and sustainable developm...

Disasters are increasingly expensive and their impacts under-estimated. The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) 2025 , highlights how direct disaster costs have grown to approximately $202 billion annually, but that the true costs of disasters is over $2.3 trillion when cascading and ecosystem costs are taken into account. The burden of this cost- and the debt it creates- disproportionately fall on developing countries, but it doesn't need to be this way. Published by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) , the GAR 2025 report titled " Resilience Pays: Financing and Investing for our Future ," outlines how aligning investments with risk realities can break spirals of debt, uninsurability, and increasing humanitarian needs. "This year's Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction examines the risks posed by disasters from now to 2050 and presents an indisputable case for action. It shows the eye-watering losse...

In the 10 years since the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, countries have made significant strides in building their resilience. The number of countries with national Disaster Risk Reduction strategies has doubled, as has the number of countries with reported early warning systems. The result is that more lives are being saved, with disaster mortality cut by half over the past decade. We should all be proud of this progress. However, we can't afford to be complacent. While fewer people are dying, more people than ever are being affected by disasters, and the economic cost of disasters is breaking new records. The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 estimates that the true cost of disasters is 11 times higher than the direct economic costs, standing at an estimated $2.3 trillion a year. To reverse these trends, countries must accelerate the full implementation of the Sendai Framework in the remaining five years. This requires priori...

Key messages: Disasters are becoming more more frequent, more intense and more expensive – with the poorest countries in the world bearing the brunt. Yet resilience – the ability of communities and economies to anticipate, withstand and recover from disasters – remains underfunded. Investing in resilience is essential and we can improve funding for anticipating, withstanding and recovering from disasters in five ways. Disasters are no longer rare events. They are becoming more frequent, more intense and more expensive – with the poorest countries bearing the brunt. The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) 2025 highlights that direct disaster costs have grown to approximately $202 billion annually, and that the true costs could be over $2.3 trillion, when cascading and ecosystem costs are taken into account. In addition, the "big five" disasters – earthquakes, floods, storms, droughts and heatwaves – account for over 95% of direct losses in the past tw...