LocationsInternational Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
Investing in Resilience: Safeguarding Development and Economic Growth
October 13, 2025
Bangladesh during the devastating flood in 2024
UNDP Bangladesh
By 2030, the world is projected to face 560 disasters every year, more than one a day. Yet, in some countries, less than 1 percent of public budgets is spent on reducing disaster risks.
Asia-Pacific, the most disaster-prone region in the word, is experiencing disasters that are growing in frequency and intensity, with their toll on lives, communities, and economies continuing to rise. This year’s IDDRR is a reminder that investing in resilience today save lives, protect economies, and preserves hard-won development gains. For the Asia-Pacific region, we need to invest now and cannot afford to wait.
Just 3 days ago, a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Philippines, triggering tsunami warnings, causing structural damage, and prompting evacuations across coastal communities. From the devastating earthquake in Afghanista, to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan, disasters strike without warning. In Afghanistan alone, over 2,200 lives have been lost, and more than 6,700 homes destroyed. In Pakistan, the floods have affected more than 6 million people, displacing over 2.5 million residents. The recent events remind us that while disasters cannot be predicted, preparedness can dramatically reduce their impact.
On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), we highlight stories from across Asia-Pacific, showing how strategic investments in resilience, partnerships, and innovation not only save lives but also protect economic development.
UNDP Bangladesh
Bangladesh – Stories of Loss, Recovery, and Resilience
In Bangladesh, floods devastate communities annually, displacing families, destroying livelihoods and local economies. In August 2024, heavy rainfall and upstream water inflows caused severe flooding in 11 districts, displacing over 500,000 people and affecting 5.8 million, roughly the population of Denmark.
To support long-term recovery, UNDP provided conditional cash grants for shelter reconstruction and livelihood support to help small businesses restart. It also organized training on disaster preparedness and gender-responsive planning, enabling communities, especially women, to build back better and strengthen their resilience for the future.
UNDP worked closely with the country and partners to provide immediate relief and support recovery, helping communities rebuild stronger than before. These efforts highlight that resilience is about proactive investment in DRR to be prepared before the next disaster hits, so that both lives and development gains are safeguarded.
Training the Next Generation of Weather Observers in Solomon Islands
UNDP Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands – Building Local Capacity to Save Lives
Disaster preparedness relies on people, knowledge, and partnerships. In the Solomon Islands, young meteorological observers are being trained to monitor weather patterns and provide early warnings to communities at risk. This local capacity ensures that warnings reach those who need them, reducing loss of life, protecting property, and minimizing disruption to economic activity.
Inside the classroom, students like Lyvena, 20, understand the weight of their role: “I’m learning something important that will help protect lives and their property.”
Led by the UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, and supported by the Systemic Observations Financing Facility, the program is designed to strengthen national forecasting systems so that timely, accurate early waning information reaches all communities, especially rural and vulnerable ones.
This initiative demonstrates the power of partnerships to build local resilience, protect livelihoods, and support economic stability.
Japanese high school students visited UNDP to learn about its disaster risk reduction
UNDP Asia-Pacific
Next-Gen Leaders Learn About Resilience
Disaster preparedness relies on people, knowledge, and partnerships. In the Solomon Islands, young meteorological observers are being trained to monitor weather patterns and provide early warnings to communities at risk. This local capacity ensures that warnings reach those who need them, reducing loss of life, protecting property, and minimizing disruption to economic activity.
Inside the classroom, students like Lyvena, 20, understand the weight of their role: “I’m learning something important that will help protect lives and their property.”
Led by the UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, and supported by the Systemic Observations Financing Facility, the program is designed to strengthen national forecasting systems so that timely, accurate early waning information reaches all communities, especially rural and vulnerable ones.
This initiative demonstrates the power of partnerships to build local resilience, protect livelihoods, and support economic stability.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, in collaboration with Tongji University and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), officially launched the RISE Lab.
UNDP China
China – RISE Lab for Resilient Cities
Urban resilience is central to economic stability. In China, UNDP, in collaboration with Tongji University and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), launched the RISE Lab - an innovation hub dedicated to building smarter, safer, and more resilient cities.
“Cities are at the heart of the climate crisis, but they are also key to the solution. RISE Lab will serve as a testbed for cutting-edge innovations and a platform for national and global knowledge exchange to accelerate sustainable, inclusive urban transformation.” – shared James George, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP China
RISE Lab shows how collaboration and innovation can reduce potential economic losses, from infrastructure damage to business disruption, while ensuring citizens are better protected. Cities equipped with innovative risk-management solutions are better positioned to sustain growth even when disaster strikes.
From Bangladesh to the Solomon Islands, from youth leadership programs to innovative lab in China, these stories show resilience in action: disaster risk reduction is a strategic economic decision. Every investment in resilience building, preparedness, capacity building, and innovation reduces potential losses, protects development gains, and strengthens communities.
On this IDDRR, UNDP calls on governments, policymakers, and development partners to put resilience at the center of decision-making. Investing in DRR today means fewer lives lost, less economic damage, and stronger communities tomorrow.
🌐 Explore more resilience stories and insights in the first edition of our new Regional Newsletter, launched this IDDRR.
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