GP2025: UNDSG, Amina Mohammed Makes Case for Disaster Risk Financing

United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed said the UN is making a case for sustainable, concessional financing to fund disaster risk preparedness, reduction and management programs of developing countries. She noted that although the platforms and instruments for financing is available, political will is still needed to provide grants, and restructure debts for countries to respond better to disaster risks.

The global assessment report 2025 released recently pegs the real cost of disaster as exceeding 2 trillion dollars annually- money that could be put into development. With the sustainable development goals, the world is well behind with only five more years to go.

The world is also witnessing an intensity of climate crises; devastating floods, extreme heat, rising sea levels, melting glaciers with new dimensions to how they affect people and places

The wide range of attendance at the Global Platform, she observed, illustrates the importance of this issue to many. This has a lot to do with how much advocacy has been done and the reality that people are leaving makes it a top issue for many people including young people, civil society, the private sector, indigenous communities, women and the media.

The UN is looking at protecting global development gains from the impacts of disaster which highlights the importance of resilience and early warning systems.

Patricia Danzi, Director General, Swiss Agency for Development and Corporation said that Switzerland invests domestically, two to three billion dollars a year in disaster risk reduction and two hundred and fifty million dollars abroad with its international cooperation

Disasters do not stop at borders, every country whether developed, developing or under developed, big or small, densely or less populated, the entire world is in the same boat and on the same mountain. This sameness of situation is the force that has brought delegates from across the world together for the 8th session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

There is greater understanding the impacts of disasters are universal and it requires urgent action to implement the Sendai Framework- which is a mechanism set up to help nations of the world to reduce risks associated with disasters and build the resilience of people and places against disaster impacts.