Global challenge 2:

Evolving Crisis and disasters

5 Global challenges – What do we need to prioritize this decade?

The five global challenges emerging from the Strategy 2030 consultations are a balance of existing and emerging risks, that are most relevant to our mandate and our scope of influence. These are inseparable from each other and are heavily influenced by trends identified in our Global Thematic Futures Report.

The convergence, frequency and scale of increasing natural disasters, fragility, violence and conflict in the world is threatening efforts to end extreme poverty. Disasters are predicted to increase over the next decade as global temperatures climb and cause more frequent and intense weather events. While there are fewer large-scale interstate conflicts, other forms of conflict and violence have increased since 2010 and are prolonged with system wide implications.

Disasters and crisis are increasingly concentrated in complex settings. By 2030, almost half of the world’s poor are expected to live in countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence – mostly in Africa and the Middle East. As a result of the rate of urbanisation in Africa and Asia, we are seeing increasing disaster risks and violence in cities. As many as one in every three people living in cities will be in informal settlements within the period and will experience significant deprivation. Beyond traditional drivers of disasters and crisis, our increasing dependence on technology brings new risks and vulnerabilities including technological collapse, cyber and digital risks, ethics and digital vulnerability implications.

Our focus over the coming decade must be on mitigating the vulnerabilities and disadvantages resulting from all types of crisis and disasters for all people, especially the most vulnerable, so that all are able to thrive.

We will integrate disaster risk reduction and response programming across migration, climate change, food security, livelihoods, urban environments, health and digital vulnerabilities to ensure that we are working in an integrated manner, particularly in crisis and fragile contexts.

As a global network we will become better at anticipating and adapting to increasing and emerging risks, and work on stronger preventative measures. We will also expand approaches that promotes choice-enabling programming and actions as mechanisms that help communities decide for themselves what type of support they need within their contexts.  

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5 Global challenges – What do we need to prioritize this decade?

The five global challenges below represent what we believe are the most pressing existing and emerging risks that confront our network. They are presented as distinct areas but in reality, they are highly interconnected. All will necessitate significant changes in the way we work if we are to uphold our commitment to be Always There.

The convergence, frequency and scale of increasing natural disasters, fragility, violence and conflict in the world is threatening efforts to end extreme poverty. Disasters are predicted to increase over the next decade as global temperatures climb and cause more frequent and intense weather events. While there are fewer large-scale interstate conflicts, other forms of conflict and violence have increased since 2010 and are prolonged with system wide implications.

Disasters and crisis are increasingly concentrated in complex settings. By 2030, almost half of the world’s poor are expected to live in countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence – mostly in Africa and the Middle East. As a result of the rate of urbanisation in Africa and Asia, we are seeing increasing disaster risks and violence in cities. As many as one in every three people living in cities will be in informal settlements within the period and will experience significant deprivation. Beyond traditional drivers of disasters and crisis, our increasing dependence on technology brings new risks and vulnerabilities including technological collapse, cyber and digital risks, ethics and digital vulnerability implications.

Our focus over the coming decade must be on mitigating the vulnerabilities and disadvantages resulting from all types of crisis and disasters for all people, especially the most vulnerable, so that all are able to thrive.

We will integrate disaster risk reduction and response programming across migration, climate change, food security, livelihoods, urban environments, health and digital vulnerabilities to ensure that we are working in an integrated manner, particularly in crisis and fragile contexts.

As a global network we will become better at anticipating and adapting to increasing and emerging risks, and work on stronger preventative measures. We will also expand approaches that promotes choice-enabling programming and actions as mechanisms that help communities decide for themselves what type of support they need within their contexts.  

Related content

THE FUTURE OF PROTECTION

By Amjad Saleem, IFRC 

Read more

The future of urban

By Aynur Kadihasanoglu
Senior Advisor for Urban Resilience , Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC)

Read more

Give us your feedback

4 Comments

  1. Atta

    Protracted crisis + (multiple risks building at once), is a terrible reality which we all are facing, the crisis and climate change along with natural catastrophes are taking more a regional (multi countries) impact. If we see fragility contexts (conflicts + natural disasters) via regional lens (South Asia : Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma etc), MENA (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Tunis), Belt of Africa (Somaliland, South Central Somalia, Puntland, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, CAR, Mali, Nigeria, Western Sahara etc). Latin America. So, people on move IDPs and Refugees, how to address needs when displacement is occurring and humanitarian agencies can only assist to a certain level as many challanges stand high and we as RCRC has not role to play proactively but to be reactive to humanitarian needs assistance but root causes of problems are beyond our scope like geo political affiliations-alignments, economical gain to access warm waters and natural resources, international coalitions etc

    Reply
    • Bosco vicent

      I have been observed several disaster to different place the crucial issue is to prepare the clear way forward in order to mitigate the likely impacts to the community as well as environment

      Reply
  2. Andaline Nbade Appoline Marie

    A mon avis il est question d’implanter une méthode d’approche visant a impliquer les communautés local sur certaines réalités qu’ils savent très bien que plus tard cela aura d’énormes impact sur leurs vies mais ignore et s’installent cas,tel est le cas de ceux qui habitent dans les zones a risque

    Reply
  3. Tautala Mauala

    Incorporate lessons learnt from previous experiences to improve our actions to respond more effectively to these trends in humanitarian needs and assistance.

    Reply

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