Disasters cause human suffering, environmental and economic harm, and set back progress on eliminating poverty. If disaster risk isn’t well managed, the consequences are manifold. Disaster risk reduction is, therefore, an investment worth making by all countries. Every dollar spent reducing people’s vulnerability to disasters saves around seven dollars in economic losses. Investing in prevention not only increases the resilience of countries to future disaster, but protects economic growth and other development achievements from being lost in a single catastrophic event.

UNDP currently works with some 59 governments around the world on disaster risk reduction and recovery. A number of countries, through remarkable leadership and political commitment, have been successful in reducing natural hazard-related losses. The Government of Japan, a world leader in disaster prevention, is also a strong partner in this process, sharing the experience gained from coping with exposure to disaster and bringing that, along with significant financial commitments, to support strengthening resilience for developing countries worldwide.