A Year in Review: Annual Report 2023-24
a year in review
The Centre for Disaster Protection's Annual Report 2023-24
Too often, current approaches to dealing with crises and disasters remain flawed, leaving people and nations scrambling for resources when disaster strikes. At the Centre for Disaster Protection, we believe that planning and preparing for shocks pays off, and that pre-arranged financing for disasters has the potential to significantly increase the predictability, speed and effectiveness of responses to shocks. Our mission is to prevent disasters devastating lives, by helping people, countries and organisations change how they plan and pay for disasters. This mission and our values have guided our work throughout the past year, and we are proud to present our first published annual report detailing our progress and the challenges we’ve encountered.
A Year in Review showcases our impact from July 2023 to June 2024. Reflecting on our journey since our inception in 2018, it’s clear that our efforts in promoting high-quality, equitable pre-arranged financing are yielding dividends. We’ve made our mark by informing and influencing stakeholders at various levels to foster meaningful change and enhance resilience against disasters.
Shaping the future of Pre-Arranged Financing
In 2023, we launched our inaugural flagship report, The State of Pre-Arranged Financing for Disasters 2023. This groundbreaking report compiles and analyses the most current data on pre-arranged disaster financing. Shockingly, it found that only 2.7% of the USD71 billion allocated for international crisis financing in 2021 was pre-arranged, underscoring significant unmet need in the most vulnerable regions. This report now serves as a benchmark for annual monitoring and paves the way for future enhancements.
Last year, we published Addressing Loss and Damage: Insights on the Fund and the Global Shield, examining the synergies and challenges between the Global Shield and the Loss and Damage Fund. Our insights have been crucial in navigating through a delicate policy environment.
The Centre was appointed as the coordinator for the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the G7-V20 Global Shield against Climate Risks. This role enables us to model our core values of quality, impartiality and challenge, providing independent advice to support in-country processes and ensuring that the Global Shield delivers on its ambition to close crisis protection gaps for countries that are most vulnerable to climate risks.
We have actively shaped international policies on pandemic and epidemic risk finance. Our contributions include fostering new partnerships with major players in the global health finance arena, including multilateral development banks and G20 Joint Finance-Health Task Force.
Driving policy change across global platforms
Our ongoing dialogue with multilateral development banks and other financial entities includes operationalising debt pause clauses also known as climate resilient debt clauses. In June 2024, our contributions were featured during a critical meeting of multilateral bank leaders and in a newly released handbook aimed at African government officials, ‘Understanding Sovereign Debt: Options and Opportunities for Africa’. Our suggested language for debt pause clauses was also referenced in the Nairobi Declaration and a World Bank announcement at COP 28.
We continue to support and advise regional sovereign risk pools, such as the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility and the African Risk Capacity. Our involvement includes hosting strategic summits and spearheading initiatives to enhance collaboration and impact.
Strengthening governments' disaster response strategies
Our work with the African Development Bank and various national governments has strengthened disaster risk financing strategies and improved responses to climate-related shocks. For instance, our partnership with The Gambia and Zambia has supported comprehensive disaster risk assessments and strategy development.
Our most substantive national-level engagement has been our multi-year programme of work with five Sahelian countries: a region that continues to experience political instability, escalating conflict and violence. This year, we worked with the World Bank on a major review of disaster risk financing in Burkina Faso to help improve how disasters are managed and funded. We also made progress in developing early warning systems for food security crises in Chad. Our joint workshop with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization attracted 50 attendees from national, regional, and international organisations.
Amplifying voices for global impact
Early in 2024, the Centre launched the High-Level Panel on Closing the Crisis Protection Gap, convening world-leading experts and decision makers from across sectors and geographies to set out a compelling vision and roadmap for closing the crisis protection gap, a flagship initiative of the Centre set to report by early 2025.
Our three-part podcast series, Counter Crisis produced by Tortoise Media sheds light on crucial topics related to disaster risk financing and preparedness, from introducing the idea of pre-arranged finance to applying it to relevant areas such as pandemic preparedness and climate loss and damage. We plan to launch a second season to continue to amplify influential voices in disaster preparedness and to contribute to a broader understanding of disaster risk finance.
The path has not been without its challenges. The landscape of disaster risk finance is becoming increasingly complex.
As we continue to navigate the complexities of disaster risk finance, our readiness to implement transformative solutions grows stronger. The increasing demand for our services reflects the trust in our expertise and emphasises the need for adaptive strategies and governance to stay ahead of emerging challenges.
We invite you to join us on this journey to reshape how the world prepares and pays for disasters, ensuring a safer and more resilient future that leaves no one behind.
This annual report reflects our ongoing dedication to redefining disaster preparedness and response, as we strive to ensure our work remains relevant and impactful in a rapidly evolving world. You can download the report here.
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