Every dollar invested in resilient infrastructure in developing countries saves four dollars during natural disasters. UN Secretary-General calls for urgent increases in investment in disaster risk reduction Climate and Environment
On International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October, the UN Secretary-General called on the global community to urgently rethink its approach to financing resilience in the face of the growing climate crisis.
The number and scale of natural disasters are growing rapidly, destroying lives, depriving people of their livelihoods and derailing years of development efforts, the UN chief said. “The damage to the global economy is staggering and, when indirect costs are included, is estimated at two trillion dollars a year,” said António Guterres. Despite the alarming statistics, funding for disaster risk reduction remains critically low. Only two percent of international development assistance and less than one percent of government budgets go to disaster prevention. “This is not just a funding shortfall – it is a serious miscalculation,” the Secretary-General emphasized, adding that every dollar invested in resilient infrastructure in developing countries saves four dollars in natural disasters. disasters. This year’s theme for the International Day focuses on the need to increase investment in resilience. Guterres called on governments and donors to increase funding, and the public and private sectors to take risks into account when making decisions. “Building resilience must be at the heart of development efforts,” he said. Concluding his message, the Secretary-General called on the global community to respond to rising threats with increased funding and work together to build a safer and more equitable future for all.