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.

Through 14 case studies from climate-hit communities in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands, this multi-author resource reveals the true impact of ‘non-economic loss and damage’. Unlike the destruction of infrastructure or assets, these harms cannot be easily quantified and are often overlooked.

Weather-related disasters forcibly displaced a staggering 43.1 million children across 44 countries over the past six years, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in this report.

There are now more than 100 million people overall displaced, around 75% of whom are hosted by low or middle-income countries and living in protracted circumstances. Host countries are struggling to meet the needs of internally displaced people and refugees, despite the efforts and support of UN agencies and humanitarian actors.

The paper is proposing a new model to enhance capacities to predict, prevent, and manage climate-induced displacement. This approach emphasizes proactive measures based on early warnings, offering an alternative to conventional disaster management practices.

This report speaks to three key areas: accessibility and policy as the root cause of the issue, the need for proactive planning to start now, and that protecting house, land, and property rights must be at the core of climate policy responses.

The number of people displaced worldwide has reached a record 110 million, with the wars in Ukraine and Sudan forcing millions from their homes, according to this annual Global Trends report by the UNHCR.

The impacts of climate change could displace up to 250 million people by 2050, exacerbating poverty and inequality, and derailing the achievement of SDGs by several decades. The impacts of climate change on countries of the Global South are disproportionate.