Blogs

Our latest knowledge note, prepared in collaboration with experts from China’s Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management (ADREM) at Beijing Normal University, presents recent progress in China's national resilience building and distills insights on what it takes to strengthen resilien­ce at scale.

When disasters strike, local government leaders and humanitarian organizations look to data to inform their responses. Maps can provide a snapshot of the people exposed to the disaster, the extent of the damage, and the places important to the community such as schools and health.

Disasters happen. There is nothing humanity can do to prevent earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions from occurring, and even disasters with a human cause may strike suddenly and without warning. However, communities and populations can be made more resilient in the face of disaster through building resilient land and geospatial information systems.

At the height of summer, the air conditioner is your best friend. But what do you do when blistering hot summer days become more frequent and intense? That’s increasingly the case in many European and Central Asian cities.

It is not enough to have generic remedies and guides for current public investment needs in the region; instead, we propose five measures to improve regional capacities while promoting resilient public investment

Disability-inclusive recovery is about creating equal opportunities through the removal of barriers. We can do this by gathering baseline disability data and incorporating that in post-disaster needs assessments, by mainstreaming disability inclusion in the recovery program, and by recommending specific interventions. Importantly, persons with disabilities should be consulted throughout the process.

Have you ever invited representatives from different sectors to imagine their dream city? All around the table, designing their neighborhoods with wide public spaces and green areas, accessible platforms for cultural activities and even spaces that retain water to prevent flooding. There is an urban planning exercise that is just for that, and it is showcased by the experience of the Río Abajo basin in Panama City.

Earlier this month, as the co-chair of Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), I had the opportunity to participate in the GFDRR-hosted webinar on managing tropical storms during the COVID-19 crisis. I heard inspiring examples of how my peers in similar roles are leading responses in Vanuatu, the Caribbean, and Japan.