Resilience in a Riskier World: Managing Systemic Risks from Biological and Other Natural Hazards, the Asia Pacific Disaster Report 2021 captured a comprehensive picture of the complexity of disaster risk landscape (‘riskscape’) from natural and biological hazards in the Asia-Pacific region. The full-length publication is available at https://www.unescap.org/kp/2021/asia-pacific-disaster-report-2021.

USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, through a $650,000 grant to the International Federation of the Red Cross, plans to  enhance the capacity of Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) to reduce disaster risk and build community resilience in Thailand by strengthening geographical information systems, disaster risk reduction planning, and preparedness for effective response. The award will focus on: 1.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed the close link between health and disaster risk reduction.

Social protection refers to a broad set of government transfers of income or services designed to reduce vulnerability and build resilience of individuals, households, and communities. Making social protection disaster-responsive means that current and future levels of disaster risk, projected intensity and frequency of hazards, the exposure of populations and their coping capacities should be incorporated into the review and design of all social protection programmes.

The intersection of COVID-19 and extreme climate events reminds us once again the shared vulnerabilities of South Asia and urgency of sub-regional actions to address the crisis of cascading disasters that are impacting SDG progress in the sub-region.