Disaster Risk Reduction

Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 – Summary

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The Global Assessment Report (GAR) 2025, published by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), offers a sobering yet crucial analysis of the current global landscape of disaster risk. With the theme focused on “Transforming Risk Governance for a Resilient Future,” the report presents a strategic outlook on systemic risks, socio-economic vulnerabilities, and the institutional shifts required to build disaster resilience in a rapidly changing world.

1. Context and Objectives

The 2025 report continues the GAR tradition of providing policymakers, practitioners, and communities with evidence-based insights and guidance. However, this year's edition emphasizes that the world is facing a complex risk landscape—not merely from natural hazards, but from the interaction of risks such as pandemics, climate change, economic fragility, technological disruptions, and social inequality.

The report’s primary objectives include:

• Assessing the current state of disaster risk worldwide.

• Identifying gaps in risk governance and data.

• Exploring strategies for integrated risk management.

• Highlighting success stories from countries adopting forward-looking policies.

2. The Systemic Nature of Risk

One of the key messages of the GAR 2025 is the systemic nature of risk. The report explains that hazards can no longer be treated in isolation. Instead, risks are increasingly interlinked, cascading across sectors and borders, amplifying their consequences.

For example:

• A flood can trigger infrastructure failure, disrupt supply chains, and spread diseases.

• Climate change exacerbates the frequency and intensity of extreme events.

• Social vulnerability—such as poverty or poor governance—turns hazards into disasters.