// ENERGY, CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT: ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY
From vulnerability to resilience: placing disaster risk at the core of the G7 agenda
F rance has set an ambitious agenda for its G7 presidency in 2026, seeking to return the G7 to its original pur- pose as a space for dialogue among major powers to address the economic chal- lenges of our time. Most notably, it states that “multilateralism will be effective if it prevents vulnerabilities”. Having worked on the front lines of global disasters and crises, I could not agree more. Reducing vulnerabilities is a core element of disaster risk reduc- tion. That is why it is critical that the G7 integrate disaster risk reduction into its deliberations. Indeed, some of the greatest achievements of multilateralism this cen- tury have come from collective efforts to build disaster resilience, such as the cre- ation of the Indian Ocean tsunami early warning system after the 2004 tsunami. TACKLING SYSTEMIC GLOBAL RISK Such multilateralism is especially urgent
today, because climate and disaster risks are no longer local phenomena but are increasingly systemic and transbound- ary. Encouragingly, the stated priorities of France’s G7 presidency present several entry points for integrating disaster risk reduction into economic cooperation. The first is the overarching objective of “making the reduction in global inequali- ties a priority”. Inequality and disasters feed off each other. Inequality increases human and economic vulnerability to natural hazards, amplifying the impacts of disas- ters. Disasters disproportionately harm the most vulnerable, entrenching poverty and widening inequalities. The scale of the challenge is grow- ing. According to our Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025, the real global cost of disasters is esti- mated at $1.3 trillion per year – more than 11 times higher than the direct
Disaster risk is no longer a peripheral concern, but a central economic challenge. Integrating risk reduction into finance, development and infrastructure policy is critical for strengthening resilience Kamal Kishore, special representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
110 // G7 FRANCE: THE ÉVIAN SUMMIT 2026
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