The eighth session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) – the first to take place since the Sendai Framework’s Mid-Term Review (MTR) in 2023 – brought together stakeholders to share ideas, showcase achievements, and coordinate their efforts toward achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The meeting placed the focus on resilience as a long-term endeavor, rather than short-term disaster response and relief.

Setting the scene, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting describes a disaster that occurred the week prior 130 kilometers from the meeting venue, where the tiny village of Blatten was buried in a landslide triggered by the collapse of the Birch glacier in the Swiss Alps. This incident “affirmed the value of disaster preparedness, while also highlighting the destabilization of Earth systems linked to climate change.”

Many participants highlighted that the increasing intensity and frequency of disasters has plunged some communities into a state of “perpetual recovery” as they are buffeted by one extreme event after another. In a stark reminder of the unpredictability of global environmental crises, Vanuatu revealed that it was preparing for a Category 5 cyclone – a now-common occurrence – when it was unexpectedly hit in December 2024 by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake, incurring losses equivalent to 65% of its gross domestic product (GDP).

At the same time, participants acknowledged that disaster mortality had halved between the periods 2005-2014 and 2014-2023, driven in part by improvements in infrastructure, early warning systems, and emergency responses. Yet, they noted, despite these wins, the world is not on track to achieve the goals of the Sendai Framework in 2030.

Discussions on financing focused on domestic sources, including how governments can put in place pre-approved funds that can be quickly accessed at subnational levels immediately after a disaster. Participants also considered ways to channel finance to the local level through mechanisms such as parametric insurance and microloans, to help farmers, fishers, and others who depend on natural resources to reestablish themselves more quickly after a disaster.

Other prominent topics of discussion included public-private partnerships (PPPs), regional alliances, industry incentives, and banks’ leadership, as well as the move towards permanent institutional arrangements to manage recovery.

According to ENB, many countries saw climate funds and an integrated approach to National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and DRR plans and strategies as pathways toward accessing international finance. Many discussions highlighted the need for trust building and co-design and co-ownership of recovery efforts, as well as innovative, sustainable, and climate-smart solutions to increase and improve resilience building.

Themed, ‘Every Day Counts, Act for Resilience Today,’ the Global Platform convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from 6-9 June 2025. [ENB Coverage of Eighth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction]