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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
Serbia
Serbia: Digital Disaster Risk Register links geospatial data to risk-informed planning and investment
Serbia’s Disaster Risk Register—built by SEM, RGA and UNDP—integrates national spatial-data layers on floods, landslides, quakes, fires and health. Live since 2022, it guides risk-based urban planning, emergency response and attracts private investment.
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
Case study
Ghana
Ghana: A systems-based roadmap guides climate-resilient infrastructure investment
UNOPS-led roadmap used Oxford’s NISMOD, EnABLE & FundABLE to map climate risks to Ghana’s energy, water and transport systems, rank investments and match them to 82 funds—giving government an SDG-aligned, costed plan for resilient infrastructure.
  • United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Case study
Niger
Niger: Integrated resilience programming turns degraded Sahel land into food-secure futures
WFP’s community-driven resilience package in Niger rehabilitated 8,800 ha with zai pits & compost, trained 2,000 villages and cut lean-season aid needs by US $54 m; 80 % of targeted villages no longer require emergency food support.
  • World Food Programme (WFP)
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Case study
Armenia
Armenia: Building a shock-responsive social-protection system through legal and digital reform
Armenia’s 2024 Social Assistance Law—drafted with UNICEF, MLSA and partners—adds rapid-response rules, digital needs assessments and e-card cash support. USD 24 m from donors plus USD 161.5 m state funds scaled help for refugees and flood victims.
  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
  • World Food Programme (WFP)
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Case study
Cuba
Cuba: Integrated drought management and early warning for food-system resilience
Eastern Cuba’s WFP-UNDP drought initiative modernised hydro-meteorological monitoring, automated water gauges, trained 1 150 technicians & 15 000 farmers, and rolled out gender-inclusive early warnings, boosting resilience for 114 000 people.
  • World Food Programme (WFP)
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Case study
El Salvador
El Salvador: Community-led mangrove restoration through Green Life Insurance
El Salvador’s Green Life Insurance links mangrove restoration to an insurance product, funding community-led replanting of 8 ha and 26 200 trees; 70 families—60 % women—gain jobs while natural buffers cut storm and flood risk.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Case study
Micronesia, Fed States of
Micronesia: Regional collaboration strengthens SIDS disaster-risk resilience
Five Micronesian SIDS teamed up under the UN MCO to share data, traditional know-how and funding ideas. Joint workshops produced Sendai-aligned DRR strategies and peer learning, proving regional collaboration multiplies island resilience.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Case study
Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Multi-hazard probabilistic risk assessment for resilience
Costa Rica’s multi-hazard probabilistic risk assessment, factoring indirect economic impacts, steers resilient infrastructure and catastrophe bond financing, safeguarding energy lines, schools and climate goals while strengthening national preparedness.
  • United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
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