Case studies

This collection of case studies from across the globe showcases practical, real-world examples of disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction in action.

The need to understand, adapt to, and mitigate disaster risks is greater than ever. These case studies are in-depth studies of a particular case in a real-world context. Each case study highlights unique challenges, innovative solutions, and impactful outcomes, providing insight into the strategies that communities, organizations, and governments have implemented to protect lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems.

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Case study
Lesotho
Lesotho: Building a comprehensive disaster risk financing approach to support small and medium businesses
This case study shows how Lesotho is moving from reactive disaster response to a pre-arranged, layered financing system, anchored in its first national disaster risk financing strategy and a dedicated resilience window for MSMEs.
  • Global Shield Financing Facility
Case study
Kenya
Kenya’s strategic shift to comprehensive disaster risk financing through integrated budget tagging
Case study of Kenya’s disaster and climate budget tagging initiative, showing how expenditure tracking, DRR–CCA integration and risk-informed public financial management informed national DRM and DRF strategies.
  • Intra Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Disaster Risk Reduction Programme (DRRP)
Case study
Bangladesh
From risk to action in Bangladesh: A deep-dive into the National DRM system
This study applies regional scoping framework, a risk-to-action chain that follows risk as it moves through a system from information, to decisions, to finance, to action, to impact.
  • Norwegian Refugee Council
Case study
Ecuador
Tripartite agreement – Strengthening of smallholder farmers in Ecuador
Discover how this public-private partnership is strengthening the resilience of smallholder maize and rice farmers in Ecuador through an innovative parametric insurance solution that provides protection against drought and excess rainfall.
  • InsuResilience Solutions Fund
Case study
Philippines
Empowering readiness before impact: M7.8 Mindanao earthquake case study
When a magnitude 7.8 earthquake Mindanao, Philippines on 8 June 2026, the outcomes depended heavily on what was built before the event—the systems, the institutions, the training, the practiced operational workflows.
  • Pacific Disaster Center
Case study
Mali Niger
Climate action as peace enabler: lessons from the Sahel on delivering peace and social dividends in fragile settings
This case study examines the Justice and Stability in the Sahel (JASS) programme in Mali and Niger to explore whether climate action in the Sahel can generate broader peace and social benefits alongside enhanced resilience.
  • ODI Global
Case study
Africa Madagascar
Anticipatory action for drought in Southern Madagascar: Calibrating trigger systems with historical impact data
FAO combined historic losses and damages with forecasts, drought indicators, and vulnerability data to refine Madagascar’s drought triggers, enabling earlier, better‑targeted action that protected livelihoods.
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Africa
Using El Niño impact analysis to inform policy, early action and risk-informed planning in Southern Africa
FAO combined forecasts, market data, drought indicators, and historic agricultural losses and damages to map El Niño drought risk, enabling earlier, targeted action that protected food security across Southern Africa.
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
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