International day for disaster risk reduction for Africa

13 October 2025 marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This year's IDDRR event at United Nations Office Nairobi highlights the urgent need to shift from reactive disaster response to proactive investment in resilience. With global disaster costs nearing $2.3 trillion annually, the theme "Fund Resilience, Not Disasters" calls for smarter, risk-informed financing.

Africa is at the forefront of this challenge. Climate extremes cost African nations 2-5% of GDP annually, and the continent faces a $170 billion annual infrastructure investment gap to meet Agenda 2063 and the SDGs. Yet, only 10% of financing comes from the private sector, and most investments remain blind to disaster risks.