Statement of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction on the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 .
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 prioritising financing for resilience.
That is why, for the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, we are calling on the world to "Fund Resilience, Not Disasters".
This means two distinct actions:First, increasing funding for disaster risk reduction and building resilience, especially within national budgets and international assistance. As humanitarian needs rise while global assistance funds decline, investing in disaster risk reduction becomes paramount to reducing future needs.
Second, we need to ensure that public and private sector investments are guided by an understanding of climate and disaster risks. Ensuring that all development is risk-informed will not only prevent the creation of new disaster risks, but will also help protect these investments from being lost to disasters.
Disasters are neither natural nor inevitable. And even in the face of a growing climate crisis, we can put a stop to spirals of growing disaster losses.
All that it takes is to put aside a little more funding for prevention and to assess investments against known risks. These two actions alone will save billions of dollars and help us protect lives, livelihoods, and sustainable development, now and into the future.
Thank you.
Every year, disasters cost the world an estimated $2.3 trillion — eleven times higher than direct economic losses. But we can change this, says Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.
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 prioritising financing for resilience.
That is why, for the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, we are calling on the world to "Fund Resilience, Not Disasters".
This means two distinct actions:First, increasing funding for disaster risk reduction and building resilience, especially within national budgets and international assistance. As humanitarian needs rise while global assistance funds decline, investing in disaster risk reduction becomes paramount to reducing future needs.
Second, we need to ensure that public and private sector investments are guided by an understanding of climate and disaster risks. Ensuring that all development is risk-informed will not only prevent the creation of new disaster risks, but will also help protect these investments from being lost to disasters.
Disasters are neither natural nor inevitable. And even in the face of a growing climate crisis, we can put a stop to spirals of growing disaster losses.
All that it takes is to put aside a little more funding for prevention and to assess investments against known risks. These two actions alone will save billions of dollars and help us protect lives, livelihoods, and sustainable development, now and into the future.
Thank you.
Every year, disasters cost the world an estimated $2.3 trillion — eleven times higher than direct economic losses. But we can change this, says Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.
For the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is calling on the world to #FundResilienceNotDisasters. In the 10 years since the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, countries have made real progress in saving lives and strengthening resilience. Yet, as disaster impacts rise, so must our ambition. This means:
- Increasing investment in disaster risk reduction and resilience.
- Ensuring all public and private sector investments are risk-informed.
By funding prevention, we can save billions of dollars — and protect lives, livelihoods, and sustainable development.
Learn more about the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. Follow the conversations with the hashtags #ResiliencePays, #IDDRR2025, #DisasterRiskReduction, #SendaiFramework.
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