Investing in innovative solutions to manage cascading disaster risks: Key takeaways for stakeholders

This issue brief on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) focuses on the innovations which are protecting communities from cascading hazards, the challenges, and opportunities therein, and offers policy guidance to shape the future management of cascading hazards.

The proposed takeaways to scale up innovative solutions are:

1. Invest in complex risk scenario planning supported by systemic risk assessments for multiple hazards;
2. Promote disaster risk reduction measures as a public good;
3. Democratize technology using open science policy and forums;
4. Build financial resilience through scaling risk financing, insurance and risk transfer for natural hazards and pandemics;
5. Build a regional social innovation ecosystem that links the multisectoral approaches for disaster risk reduction together;
6. Deepen regional cooperation for integrated disaster early warning systems in South Asia.