LocationsOur best defence against disasters
Risk-informed development
May 28, 2025
School children take part in a tsunami preparedness drill in Cambodia.
Photo: UNDP Cambodia
“Every little item helps during this time, as it is difficult to find anything here,” says Ma Phyu Sin Win, a survivor of the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar on 28 March 2025, as she unpacks an emergency relief package containing food, medicines, hygiene kits and solar lamps.
Around the world, disasters are hitting harder and more often, from extreme weather events like floods and cyclones to geophysical events like earthquakes. In 2024, extreme weather events accounted for 93 percent of all economic losses worldwide, totalling US$320 billion. Beyond their immediate impacts, the long-term effects can be equally destructive.
Rebuilding infrastructure and restoring services diverts resources from other development activities. The loss of homes causes prolonged displacement and makes it harder for people to recover. Damaged hospitals increase health risks, and disrupted education jeopardizes children’s future.
There are no ‘natural’ disasters. Instead, disasters occur when natural hazards intersect with vulnerabilities like weak infrastructure, poverty and degraded ecosystems. Our ability to invest in development and build resilience against crises determines if a hazard becomes a disaster.
The impact of an earthquake is amplified by weak buildings prone to collapse. During the Myanmar earthquake, approximately 1.6 million buildings were exposed to earthquake intensity level 7 or higher, many of them not equipped to withstand the shock.
A devastating earthquake struck Myanmar in March 2025, impacting 7 million people and damaging 1.6 million buildings.
Photo: UNDP Myanmar
During the March 2025 earthquake in Myanmar, approximately 1.6 million buildings were exposed to earthquake intensity level 7 or higher. Many were not equipped to withstand the shock.
Similarly, destruction from floods and cyclones is often a result of unplanned urbanization or deforestation. During Cyclone Freddy that hit Malawi in 2023, mudflows resulting from unplanned infrastructure destroyed more than 260,000 houses, a majority of them in informal settlements located in high risk areas.
We need risk-informed development to minimize such loss and damage. This means including disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation solutions in our development policies and investments. Research shows that every $1 invested in resilience and preparedness not only saves $6 in infrastructure damage and cleanup costs, but also an additional $7 in communities’ recovery by protecting local economies and livelihoods.
Here are five key areas to advance risk-informed development.
Strengthening early warning systems
Early warning systems give timely information before disasters strike, allowing governments and communities to take preventive action like evacuating vulnerable populations, securing critical infrastructure, activating emergency response plans and arranging relief supplies – saving lives and reducing infrastructure damage.
Take the case of Georgia, where early warning systems provide real-time alerts on floods, landslides and avalanches, protecting 1.7 million people at risk.
In Georgia, early warning systems provide real-time alerts on floods, landslides and avalanches, protecting 1.7 million people at risk.
Photo: UNDP Georgia
Promoting inclusivity
Disaster impacts are not felt equally. Women, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups often bear a disproportionate impact. A rights-based approach ensures everyone has a voice and access to resources.
Bangladesh’s National Resilience Programme has trained over 1,700 local government officials on risk-informed, gender-responsive and disability-inclusive planning. This has led to construction of wheelchair ramps in cyclone shelters, and more than 2,700 women have been engaged as emergency responders. From 300,000 fatalities in 1970’s Cyclone Bhola to 17 in 2024’s Cyclone Remal, the impact has been transformational.
More than 2,700 women have been engaged as emergency responders in Bangladesh, helping to support an inclusive and rights-based approach.
Photo: UNDP Bangladesh
"There are no ‘natural’ disasters. Instead, disasters occur when natural hazards intersect with vulnerabilities."
Building urban resilience
Urban areas are home to 55 percent of the total human population and generate 80 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product. Today, 90 percent of urban expansion is taking place near hazard-prone areas through informal or improperly planned settlements, leaving people, infrastructure and economies highly vulnerable.
A joint initiative by UNDP and UN-Habitat is building urban resilience across fast growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes using digital tools for data collection and analysis, deploying early warning systems, ecosystem restoration, rainwater harvesting, and promoting resilient livelihoods.
Two-thirds of urban infrastructure required by 2050 is yet to be built, an important opportunity to enhance the resilience of cities.
Photo: UNDP Kenya/Kevin Ouma
Recovery that builds back better
When disasters strike, governments and communities who are prepared can recover faster and better. National and local-level plans, post-disaster needs assessments (PDNAs), and financing mechanisms ensure preparedness for a swift, inclusive and sustainable recovery.
After the 2023 Herat earthquake, UNDP supported Afghanistan in conducting a comprehensive PDNA, which identified $402 million in recovery needs across shelter, health, education and livelihoods. This helped prioritize investments in cash-for-work programmes, and construction of critical infrastructure including flood protection walls, earthquake-resistant houses, hospitals and schools.
UNDP prioritized earthquake-resilient housing in the reconstruction effort following the 2023 tremor in Herat, Afghanistan.
Photo: UNDP Afghanistan
Integrated planning for interconnected risks
Risk-informed development requires addressing multiple challenges simultaneously. Climate extremes, public health emergencies and conflicts can collide with each other and intensify impacts, often in unpredictable ways. Tackling floods without addressing urban drainage, or ignoring health impacts during cyclone response, can fail to deliver effective solutions.
UNDP supports governments to plan for disaster and climate risks by building their technical knowledge and capacities. Since 2022, over 250 senior and mid-level government officials from 15 countries across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe have been trained to integrate disaster and climate risk in key sectors including finance, agriculture, urban infrastructure, housing and water. A digital learning platform provides further tools to address disaster and climate risks in development activities.
The way forward
The growing severity of disaster impacts is a powerful reminder to continue investing in development. Efforts to building resilience not only reduce losses but also accelerate recovery after a crisis. Strengthening disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation efforts lays the groundwork for a safer, more secure future – where communities are better prepared, protected and positioned to thrive even in the face of uncertainty.
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