As currently structured, the international system for responding to natural disasters is not as timely nor equitable as it could be. Funding is secured on a largely ad hoc basis after disaster strikes, and only then can relief be mobilized toward the people who need it most. In the meantime, lives are lost, assets are depleted, and development gains suffer major setbacks – forcing more people into chronic destitution and food insecurity in the world’s least developed countries.
This lecture aims to set out not only the scale of the challenge, but also some of the home-grown solutions being developed by ARC and its partners to help overcome the devastating impact of climate change. It is both a call for accelerating sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges as well as providing a new paradigm in helping provide the policies and frameworks to mitigate, prepare and adapt to our new reality and building resilience through global policy co-ordination in public and private partnerships.