Risk Identification & Assessment

Cover
2019
The Country Risk Profiles provide a comprehensive view of hazard, risk and uncertainties for floods and droughts in a changing climate, with projections for the period 2050-2100.
Organization of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale
Cover
2019
This country risk profile for Rwanda provides a comprehensive view of hazard, risk and uncertainties for floods and droughts in a changing climate, with projections for the period 2050-2100.
Organization of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale

Disaster risk

The potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed or damaged assets which could occur to a system, society or a community in a specific period of time, determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and capacity.

Annotation: The definition of disaster risk reflects the concept of hazardous events and disasters as the outcome of continuously present conditions of risk. Disaster risk comprises different types of potential losses which are often difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, with knowledge of the prevailing hazards and the patterns of population and socioeconomic development, disaster risks can be assessed and mapped, in broad terms at least.

It is important to consider the social and economic contexts in which disaster risks occur and that people do not necessarily share the same perceptions of risk and their underlying risk factors.

Acceptable risk, or tolerable risk, is therefore an important subterm; the extent to which a disaster risk is deemed acceptable or tolerable depends on existing social, economic, political, cultural, technical and environmental conditions. In engineering terms, acceptable risk is also used to assess and define the structural and non-structural measures that are needed in order to reduce possible harm to people, property, services and systems to a chosen tolerated level, according to codes or “accepted practice” which are based on known probabilities of hazards and other factors.

Residual risk is the disaster risk that remains even when effective disaster risk reduction measures are in place, and for which emergency response and recovery capacities must be maintained. The presence of residual risk implies a continuing need to develop and support effective capacities for emergency services, preparedness, response and recovery, together with socioeconomic policies such as safety nets and risk transfer mechanisms, as part of a holistic approach.

Author Name
Sarah Landelle
Character
Palace of the Parliament building in Bucharest
The EFDRR Roadmap Action-Oriented Dialogue on ‘Understanding and communicating existing and future risks: Ensuring evidence-based communication’ is taking place in Bucharest this week on 23-24 February.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Europe & Central Asia Romania - government
IOM
The International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has joined the Making Cities Resilient (MCR2030) initiative as a supporting entity.
Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030)
Concept of online communication or social networking. Wooden cubes with speech bubbles linked to each other with lines..
More risk data is produced every day. However, new findings often don't make it out of the scientific silo to the broader public. In the face of false information, it is essential to search for new ways to make risk information accessible for everyone.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Closeup hand with magnifying glass over the smartphone
As the world grapples with the impacts of the climate crisis, effective risk communication is critical to reduce disaster risk. But the rise in fake news and disinformation can hamper efforts to raise awareness of risks and prepare communities.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction