Complex disaster risks call for urgent action in the Arab region

Leaders call to collectively strengthen resilience at the 6th Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Kuwait City, Kuwait, 12 February 2025 UNDRRs Arab States region covering 22 countries mostly in the Middle East and northern Africa faces a range of hazards, exacerbated by climate change.

Over the past 50 years, the region has suffered economic losses nearing $60 billion, with droughts, earthquakes, and floods taking the most severe human and economic toll.

Recent disasters such as the 2023 earthquakes in Syria and Morocco, catastrophic floods in Libya, and numerous severe droughts are grim reminders of the urgent need for stronger risk governance and climate resilience strategies.

Transboundary risks need transboundary solutions

The hazards that the region faces move freely across borders, and so efforts to manage and reduce risks likewise need to be transboundary. This means working together as a region.

This spirit of cooperation was evident in Kuwait this week, where disaster risk reduction experts, government officials, and resilience-building stakeholders from across the region came together for the 6th Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. The four-day event aimed to strengthen policies and partnerships, in order to reduce disaster risk and enhance resilience collectively. The Platform culminated in the adoption of the Kuwait Declaration for Disaster Risk Reduction, reaffirming the urgency of resilience building across the region.

Hosted by the Government of Kuwait and co-organized by UNDRRs Regional Office for Arab States and the League of Arab States, the Platform is a forum to assess progress, exchange best practices, and drive regional commitments to disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Innovative financing and early warnings

A preparatory day ahead of the Platform proper tackled two important topics, in parallel: the need for new and innovative financing solutions for disaster risk reduction; and implementing the Early Warnings For All initiative in the region.

The Resilient Infrastructure and DRR Financing Conference explored ways to address the challenges of DRR financing, including innovative financial instruments like catastrophe bonds, resilience bonds, and parametric insurance; public-private partnerships; and a comprehensive approach integrating DRR strategies into climate finance.

Alongside this, the Early Warnings for All Multistakeholder Forum for the Arab States, led by UNDRR and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), discussed progress in implementing Early Warnings for All in the region, with a focus on early warning technologies and risk communication strategies.

Speaking to the Forum, WMO President Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous affirmed that the Early Warning for All initiative is a top priority for WMO.

We firmly believe that strengthening early warning systems, improving climate services, and enhancing regional and international partnerships are essential pillars for effective disaster risk reduction, he said.

An appeal for collective action

Opening the Platform on 10 February, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG) Kamal Kishore stressed the need for urgent action:

"The Arab region should be proud of the progress it has made in advancing disaster risk reduction, especially around strengthening risk governance frameworks, which is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development. That said, there are still many areas for improvement."

He outlined three key objectives for the regional platform:

Strengthening risk understanding Improved knowledge exchange across the region will improve risk assessments, especially in the face of climate change.
Enhancing partnerships and collaboration More multi-sectoral engagement and regional cooperation is essential for addressing transboundary risks.
Committing to action Accelerated implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction requires taking concrete steps, in order to meet its targets before 2030.

Better governance and more investment in risk reduction

Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah, Kuwaits Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Interior, welcomed delegates, reaffirming Kuwaits commitment to DRR, and noted the special challenges that the region faces:

We are in a world that is witnessing an unprecedented acceleration in the pace of natural and human risks, and the challenges facing our societies are increasing in terms of size and complexity, he said

Disasters have become more frequent and diverse, as a result of climate change, rapid and unregulated urban growth, and environmental degradation, which makes it necessary for us to adopt a comprehensive and integrated approach to dealing with these risks.

During the Platforms busy schedule, participants engaged in sessions giving updates and discussion on a variety of topics especially pertinent to the region, including: innovative DRR financing; urban resilience; risk knowledge; extreme heat; disaster preparedness, recovery and "building back better"; and the Santiago network for loss and damage.

Scroll through the photo gallery of the Regional Platform

Innovative, actionable strategies

To inform the dialogue at the Platform, the UNDRR presented the findings of 2024 Regional Assessment Report (RAR) on Disaster Risk Reduction in the Arab Region, updating analysis of the regions evolving risk landscape. These findings warn of a perfect storm of interconnected risks, driven by climate change, water scarcity, governance challenges, and institutional fragility.

The authors noted:

Temperatures in the region are rising at an alarming rate of +0.5C per decade, intensifying droughts, extreme heat, and food insecurity.
Governance and institutional challenges remain major obstacles to effective disaster risk management.
The increasing frequency of climate-related disasters threatens human security, economic stability, and public health.
Many cities in the Middle East may become uninhabitable before the end of the century if urgent measures are not taken.

The report aims to guide governments, policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders in disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, and calls for collaborative efforts to transform an understanding of risk into actionable strategies that prioritize community wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

Regional cooperation to implement the Sendai Framework

The Platform culminated with Member States and stakeholders issuing the Kuwait Declaration for Disaster Risk Reduction, which notes the need for accelerated implementation of the Sendai Framework; enhanced DRR governance; more investment in resilient infrastructure; extended early warning system coverage; better data for evidence-based policymaking; and improved integration of science, technology and artificial intelligence.

The Kuwait Declaration stresses the need for greater regional cooperation to support crisis-affected countries; call for an inclusive approach that engages governments, civil society and the private sector in reducing disaster risks and protecting communities.

Announcing the adoption of the Kuwait Declaration, Ambassador Khalil Ebrahim Al-Thawadi, Assistant Secretary-General for Arab Affairs and National Security for the League of Arab States, said the Platform, and its Declaration, signalled a big leap forward for resilience in the region.

I urge you to take all of the lessons from this Platform, and to transform them into real actions on the ground, he told the assembled delegates.

Time is of the essence

In his closing remarks, SRSG Kamal Kishore thanked the State of Kuwait for hosting the event, and praised the region for its innovation in disaster risk reduction:

"Take the good practices from this region and share them with the world. With just five years left to achieve the goals of the Sendai Framework if this region can make it happen, then the world can make it happen, he said

With more than 450 participants from governments, UN agencies, civil society, academia, and the private sector, the 6th Arab Regional Platform for DRR will help strengthen the regions capacity to prevent and mitigate disasters, for a safer and more resilient future for all.

"You have to change this region, but you also have to change the world, Mr Kishore said.

The Platform will feed the regions challenges, solutions, and commitments into the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, taking place in Geneva from 26 June 2025.