Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: Coherence pathways in Europe and Central Asia

The overarching goal of the report is to assess the state of policy coherence between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) across 16 countries in Europe and Central Asia, and to support the development of coherent approaches in line with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This report identifies gaps, showcases emerging good practices, and provides actionable recommendations to foster greater policy coherence - helping governments to avoid maladaptation, improve resource efficiency, and enhance resilience-building efforts across sectors.

Despite significant progress in individual DRR and CCA initiatives, there remains a gap in integrating these efforts across Europe and Central Asia. Enhancing policy coherence can lead to more effective and efficient resource use, improved resilience, and better outcomes for sustainable development.

Key recommendations to strengthen coherence in the region proposed by this report include:

• Strategic alignment: Align and integrate DRR and climate action planning into existing mechanisms and use resilience as a framework to broadly engage and mobilise stakeholders and institutions.Institutional coordination: Improve institutional coordination to overcome siloed approaches and establish dedicated platforms for coordination and to ensure DRR stakeholders are included in climate action, sustainable development and residence decision-making spaces.
• Institutional coordination: Improve institutional coordination to overcome siloed approaches and establish dedicated platforms for coordination and to ensure DRR stakeholders are included in climate action, sustainable development and residence decision-making spaces.
• Technical collaboration: Promote technical collaboration through data sharing and implementing cross-cutting actions e.g. through joint action plans, especially in common areas between DRR and CCA such as early warning systems and agrifood systems.
• Financial integration: Integrate risk reduction principles into government investment decisions, promote joint financing mechanisms between DRR and climate action and capitalize on both domestic and international climate finance opportunities.