Advancing just and inclusive disaster risk reduction in Africa

As this year's climate conference of parties (COP) meets in Brazil, finance will be a major point of discussion - especially finance for climate change mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

SEI Africa, with its strong regional partnerships and track record in equitable climate adaptation research, is well-placed to help shape solutions that are both just and inclusive, ensuring that no community is left behind in the push for future resilience.

Last month, on the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDDR) presented critical data and findings of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction(GAR) 2025 at its regional office in Africa. GAR was launched officially during an online event in May. The findings were stark: disaster risk continues to rise as climate extremes, unsafe urbanization and poor development choices expose more people and assets.

Annual direct losses are estimated at USD 202 billion globally, and when cascading and ecosystem impacts are included, the real costs may exceed USD 2.3 trillion. For many African countries, limited resources and high exposure make it harder to insure or transfer risk - often diverting funds from prevention to humanitarian responses.

Recognizing that every statistic represents disrupted lives and livelihoods, the IDDRR event called for a fundamental shift in how resilience is understood and financed. Greater investment in prevention, preparedness and inclusion was urged over short-term, fragmented responses after disaster strikes.

Reframing resilience as a development imperative in Africa

Despite evidence that prevention saves both lives and money, investment in resilience remains chronically underfunded. Emergency funding still dominates, even though proactive measures are more cost-effective and sustainable in the long run.

Reframing disasters not as isolated crises but as development challenges can unlock benefits across economic, environmental and social systems. Stronger government commitment to prevention can drive development that is both resilient and inclusive - but this demands multisectoral, multi-stakeholder and cross-border cooperation.

A persistent financial gap remains, driven by the lack of long-term vision and consistent donor engagement. Disaster risk reduction still struggles to attract consistent donor engagement, with challenges ranging from developing bankable projects to building local capacity to access resources.

Participants at last month's event proposed regional financing facilitation mechanisms, such as those under the African Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction to consolidate knowledge of existing and potential funding sources. Strengthening legal and normative frameworks and engaging the private sector as both social and profitable partners were also highlighted as essential next steps.

Utilizing SEI's global research and frameworks

SEI's work has consistently reframed disasters as failures of development, not just isolated events. Addressing root causes such as poverty, marginalization, gender inequality and environmental degradation can reduce vulnerability and cushion communities and nations against shocks.

The SEI initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk (2015-19)called for integrating risk reduction into development planning. Case studies across Africa, Asia and the Pacific showed that inclusive governance and long-term planning strengthen resilience and ensure that benefits reach everyone.

The project Building Resilience to Disasters in the Global South (2018-22)demonstrated that locally grounded, climate-adaptive strategies can be built through partnering with grassroots organizations, communities and women's groups to achieve just and sustainable outcomes.

Complementing these approaches, the ongoing project Inclusive Climate Finance for Vulnerable Communities (ICCAP)adds a financial dimension to resilience-building. By enabling gender-responsive and locally led access to climate finance, ICCAP helps vulnerable communities invest in prevention, preparedness and adaptation, thus reinforcing both social and financial foundations for inclusive disaster risk reduction.

SEI's Gender Equality, Social Equity and Poverty (GESEP)initiative has also laid the groundwork for integrating intersectional gender analysis and transformative approaches into research, policy and programming. These approaches reveal how social identities, power relations and environmental change intersect and influence vulnerability and adaptive capacity. For instance, SEI's work on water insecurity in peri-urban Southeast Asiahighlighted how women face unique challenges linked to water scarcity and flooding, influenced by governance, social inequalities, and daily labour demands. Similarly, studies on the climate-migration nexusshowed that migration decisions stem not only from hazards but from deeper inequalities in access to resources, rights and mobility.

The Framework for Integrating Rights and Equality (FIRE)further strengthens this by incorporating gender-, rights- and power-aware thinking into risk assessment, land-use planning and emergency preparedness. Working with women environmental human rights defenders and partners such as the International Land Coalition Africa and Natural Justice, SEI has helped elevate marginalized voices in resilience planning and supported efforts to address the power dynamics that influence risk and recovery.

Looking ahead

Building on its global experience and equitable adaptation work, SEI Africa is establishing a dedicated project on Enhancing National Climate Services (ENACTS). This project will bring greater precision, accessibility and insights into climate information, thus empowering national and local institutions to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate-related hazards.

By combining systems thinking and scientific innovation with participatory, gender-responsive and socially inclusive methods, ENACTS will ensure that early warning and risk information systems not only improve technical accuracy and anticipatory capacity, but also address the structural inequalities that perpetuate vulnerability.

In practice, SEI Africa is working to:

• support governments and regional bodies to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive approaches to disaster risk reduction planning, implementation and financing;
• partner with regional and international organizations such as UNDRR, the African Union, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), UNEP, the World Meteorological Organization, and national meteorological ministries and others to bridge research, policy and finance to advance a just and inclusive disaster risk reduction agenda;
• build capacity for monitoring, forecasting and integrated early warning systems for air pollution and climate services that empower policymakers, risk managers, and communities;
• facilitate evidence-based policy dialogues and co-produced knowledge that connect local and Indigenous knowledge systems with scientific research;
• develop and piloting gender-responsive, locally led models for inclusive resilience financing;
• embedding intersectional gender analysis and transformative perspectives in disaster risk reduction research and practice to elevate marginalized voices and promote climate and disaster justice.

By advancing these actions, SEI Africa contributes directly to the goals of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and the African Union's resilience strategies - driving a vision that is both technically sound and socially transformative.

The author wishes to acknowledge and thank Anderson Kehbila and Tufa Dinku for their technical input to this perspective.