In the lead-up to the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025) taking place in Geneva from 2 to 6 June, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in Geneva convened a dialogue on 6 May to reflect on the future of disaster risk reduction during the remainder of the Sendai Framework implementation period and beyond and to identify a series of advocacy priorities. 

The collective messaging emerging from the Dialogue underlines the urgency to course correct the trajectory of progress in reducing risks emerging from disasters and climate change and building resilience. Quoting Marie Brüning, First Secretary Humanitarian Affairs, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva “this dialogue is a pivotal moment when preparing for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. We have an opportunity and responsibility to think ahead.” 

The group distilled eight messages for shaping the future of disaster risk reduction combined in an advocacy paper. The messages are grounded in the lived experiences of practitioners, and they are shaped by a shared commitment to accelerate progress and overcome common implementation barriers in the remaining five years of the Sendai Framework until 2030 and beyond. They serve as a foundation for advocacy efforts for all stakeholders with a stake in reducing disaster risk and will inform the Chair’s Summary of the GP2025.   

DOWNLOAD THE ADVOCACY PAPER 

The GP2025 will take place at a critical juncture for multilateralism and in a context in which the frequency, magnitude, and severity of disasters are on the rise. In 2024, disasters affected approximately 167 million people, causing over USD 240 billion economic losses. Disaster-related displacement was exceptionally high, with nearly 48.5 million people displaced—almost double the annual average of the past decade. Looking ahead, the global population faces a further increase in the frequency and intensity of disasters, with a possible 40 percent rise in the number of disasters from 2015 to 2030.  

The window of opportunity to avoid unsustainable levels of risk that transcend national, planetary, and generational boundaries is now. Therefore, it is imperative to challenge the way we think and act, to push for practical and integrated solutions that can offer multiple co-benefits, and to build a common foundation that inspires and generates optimism for working together on resilience building. 

The messages that emerged from the dialogue offer a roadmap for more effective, equitable, and sustainable disaster risk governance moving forward. They call for a renewed focus on simplification, localization, institutional reforms, practical solutions, financing, and accountability, while embracing the complexity of today’s multi-risk environment.