When disasters strike, the world scrambles to respond: emergency services are deployed, aid begins to flow, and global attention briefly turns to the affected region. But the fundamental question often goes unasked: why weren’t we better prepared to recover in the first place?

Recovery is more than simply rebuilding what was lost. It’s the process of restoring lives, livelihoods and essential services in ways that strengthen communities against future shocks. Done well, it can reduce vulnerabilities, close development gaps and lay the foundations for resilience. If ignored, it risks repeating the same patterns of loss and disruption.

Extreme weather, climate and water-related events caused nearly 12,000 disasters between 1970 and 2021. By 2030, the world is projected to face 560 disasters per year, more than one per day. Total disaster costs are now exceeding $2.3 trillion annually when indirect and ecosystem impacts are included.

At the same time, rising fragility, displacement and climate risks are threatening to undo decades of development gains. Nearly 80 percent of the world’s poor, about 651 million people, live in regions exposed to multiple climate hazards, while over 300 million face three or more overlapping threats such as floods, droughts or heatwaves. These overlapping crises make recovery not only harder, but also more essential to long-term resilience.

Disasters do more than destroy infrastructure. They disrupt institutions, livelihoods, and social systems, often reversing years of progress. But each crisis also presents a window of opportunity to rebuild stronger and fairer – if we plan for recovery before a disaster strikes. It also means ensuring that recovery is not just about rebuilding physical assets but also restoring governance, social protection and livelihoods.

Rethinking recovery as a preparedness priority

Even today, most recovery efforts still begin only after the damage has been done. This reactive approach often results in slow, fragmented, and unequal outcomes, where communities face prolonged hardship and risk falling deeper into poverty.

Preparedness is traditionally understood as early warning, evacuation and contingency planning. Preparedness for recovery is equally important – building the systems, skills and plans needed to restore normalcy quickly and inclusively.

This means ensuring that when a crisis occurs, governments already have clear frameworks for assessing damage, estimating recovery costs, mobilizing resources and coordinating across ministries, institutions and partners. 

Building country systems for recovery before the crisis hits

To help countries move from reactive to proactive recovery, the European Union and UNDP have been working since 2008 to support governments and regional institutions be ready for disasters, by:  

• Institutionalizing recovery governance – embedding recovery as a distinct and well-resourced function within national planning and disaster management systems.

• Strengthening national and regional expertise – on how to assess post-disaster needs, plan for recovery, and coordinate across sectors using tools like the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and the Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment (RPBA).

• Promoting cross-regional learning – facilitating the exchange of good practices and lessons between countries so that future recovery efforts are faster, inclusive, and sustainable.

In India the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has adopted a standardized PDNA methodology, building upon the model jointly developed by the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), the World Bank and the European Union. A dedicated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for PDNA in India  guides how state governments assess damage, estimate losses, and accordingly mobilize finance for recovery and reconstruction needs. The PDNA data are the prerequisite for unlocking public recovery financing at state level. 

The institutionalization of these tools, including training of sectoral specialists and aligning the assessment with state- and national-level disaster governance arrangements, reflects a shift from ad-hoc damage estimates to government-led, evidence-based recovery planning.

The Ten Priority Actions for Recovery

At the global level, momentum is building for a shared vision of resilient recovery. The Ten Priority Actions to Enhance Readiness for Resilient Recovery, launched at the World Resilient Recovery Conference during the 8^th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva in June 2025, set out a roadmap for governments and partners to accelerate implementation of the Sendai Framework’s “Build Back Better” priority. From inclusive financing and local leadership to private sector engagement and data-driven governance, the Ten Priority Actions are helping translate global commitments into national recovery reforms.

As the lead implementer of preparedness for recovery capacity building on the ground, UNDP works with governments to localize these tools and methodologies, working closely with the European Union. In West Africa, for instance, UNDP together with the EU and Sweden has been supporting the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to enhance policies and systems to improve crisis assessment and recovery planning. This year, ECOWAS endorsed a Roadmap for Strengthening Recovery Preparedness in West Africa to guide countries to build national recovery frameworks, create a pool of trained post-disaster assessment experts, and enhance coordination.

From bouncing back to building forward

Even today, most recovery efforts still begin only after the damage has been done. This reactive approach often results in slow, fragmented, and unequal outcomes, where communities face prolonged hardship and risk falling deeper into poverty.

Preparedness is traditionally understood as early warning, evacuation, and contingency planning. Preparedness for recovery is equally important – building the systems, skills, and plans needed to restore normalcy quickly and inclusively.

To achieve this, we must invest in people, institutions and knowledge – so that recovery is not an afterthought but a defining feature of how we prepare for and respond to crises.