The “Strengthening Disaster Resilience and Accelerating Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia” initiative was funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction over the period 2019 - 2023.

This Regional Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2023: Europe and Central Asia proposes that three broad, interconnected risk drivers characterize the complexity of managing risk in the region: climate change and environmental degradation; interconnected and complex economies, societies and infrastructure; and changing demographics.

The UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR 2023) highlights how resilience can be strengthened to withstand and respond to shocks. This includes investments in early warning systems where the benefits triple in vulnerable contexts because of their proven ability to reduce damage.

This discussion paper was prepared to showcase the need for – and the benefit of having – a globally consistent, open baseline dataset of climate risk and resilience metrics as a global public good to help mobilize finance for adaptation. The Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26 included the call to double climate finance for adaptation.

A report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that half of the countries globally are not protected by multi-hazard early warning systems. The numbers are even worse for developing countries on the front lines of climate change.