There is a funding blind spot when it comes Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in fragile and conflict affected states. In the top 30 fragile states, for every $100 of emergency aid spent after an event, just $1.30 is spent to reduce disaster impacts before. This is despite the fact that 58% of disaster deaths take place in the world’s top 30 fragile states.

Climate finance could go some way towards bridging this funding gap due to various overlaps – from risk analyses and early warning systems to contingency planning and communication infrastructure. This presents only part of the solution, as fragile countries receive just 12% of multilateral finance for climate adaptation and mitigation.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development cannot be delivered unless all countries are equipped to deal with disasters – without DRR, disasters push countries and communities back into poverty. Political and financial backing for DRR should be mobilised through specialist policy frameworks that address the unique challenges in these countries, alongside new systems that deliver and manage funds and DRR programmes.