Centre of Excellence for Disaster and Climate Resilience

CoE Membership

The CoE benefits from the participation and guidance of numerous international organisations, comprising both UN and non-governmental organisations, scientific and academic entities, and international financial institutions. These are listed in alphabetical order as follows:

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
• International Federation of Red Cross / Red Crescent societies (IFRC)
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• International Science Council (ISC)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
• United Nations University (UNU)
• World Bank (WB)
• World Food Programme (WFP)

Principles

1. Working in a collaborative, transdisciplinary and integrated manner
   At the heart of the CoE, is the recognition that the whole is better than the sum of its parts. As such, its modus operandi is built on collaboration as essential to the paradigm shift needed to ensure effective risk reduction and comprehensive risk management, and serving the most vulnerable.
   
   
2. Addressing underlying risk drivers
   The CoE recognizes the critical need to address underlying drivers of risk – including poverty, inequality, exclusion, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation – thus moving beyond hazard-centric approaches to also address vulnerability, exposure, and coping capacity.
   
   
3. Prioritizing highly vulnerable and fragile contexts
   The CoE recognizes that highly vulnerable and fragile contexts are disproportionately affected by shocks when risks are realized, not least the impacts of the changing climate. In some contexts, ability or agency to affect change to the drivers of such risks can be limited and funding for action in these contexts does not match the needs. As such, the CoE aims to identify and address the structural and non-structural barriers to effectively implementing risk reduction – including climate change adaptation – in vulnerable and fragile contexts.

Work

In line with the principles outlined above, the following are the current areas of work in 2023.

1. Moving Back from the Edge
   This publication presents case studies to illustrate transformative interventions to avert, minimize, and address loss and damage in highly vulnerable and fragile contexts. The report makes a case for a greater focus on vulnerability reduction as the common connector between humanitarian, DRR, and climate change actors and calls for a “vulnerability compact” to break down institutional silos and ensure those who are most at risk in the climate emergency are prioritized.
   
   
2. EWS-EA in Countries affected by FCV
   The objective of the work is to identify the basic requirements for Early Warning Systems (EWS)-Early Action (EA) in contexts of fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) to inform investments, coordination, collaboration, and action in favour of the most vulnerable. The result of extensive consultations with experts and competent authorities, this work recognizes that EWS-EA in FCV is key to get ahead of impending disasters – especially in contexts where local warning and response capacities are limited and can be quickly surpassed given pre-existing humanitarian needs. EWS-EA in FCV contexts must be adapted to the needs and challenging circumstances of all stakeholders across the value chain. Supporting realistic expectations and application is imperative in the co-design and co-production of EWS-EA for FCVs.
   
   
3. Solution Packages
   The CoE recognizes that there is no silver bullet, nor ideal approach for addressing increasing disaster risk, including those emanating from a changing climate. Understanding and navigating the interrelationships, trade-offs, potential benefits and cascading consequences of different policy choices, instruments, investments, and implementation arrangements is becoming increasingly complex – not least with the deepening climate crisis. The sheer magnitude of needs, limited resources, and the urgency to deliver, to transform, can complicate even paralyse decision-making and practice. With this in mind, the CoE aims to enable solution pathways for countries and partners to chart convergent and collaborative action in reducing risk, and promote the health and wellbeing of people and planet in a changing climate. This will be delivered through solution packages which may be hazard specific. The initial focus is on extreme heat.