At an event on Monday 8 November at COP26, leaders from around the world will make public declarations to support risk-informed early action that will help make one billion people safer from disaster by 2025.
Also at the event, a panel discussion focused on the impact of risk-informed early action on climate change will take place between high-profile representatives from the FCDO, UN, Malawian government, Kenyan Red Cross and Climate Vulnerable Forum.
The event is part of Adaptation, Loss and Damage day, and is organised by REAP – the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership. Journalists are invited to attend. Media interviews can also be arranged with the panellists.
About the event:
Welcome to 2025: where early action is the default
Monday 8 November, 16:30-18:00
UK Pavilion, COP26
The event will be live-streamed at bit.ly/Welcometo2025
About the pledge
REAP partners will make pledges of support towards the risk-informed early action agenda and the partnership’s ambitious targets that aim to drive a systemic shift towards acting earlier to reduce the impacts of disasters.
About the panel discussion
An urgent call for ambitious commitments to avert climate impacts and minimise loss and damage, this event will see high-level representatives from around the world telling the story of global commitment and local leadership on early action.
Using examples of good practice from around the world, they will highlight the impact that risk-informed early action partnerships can make when organisations work together.
Speakers include:
- Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in the UK
- Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
- Nancy Tembo, Minister for Forestry and Natural Resources in Malawi and chair of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) cluster on environment, natural resources, and tourism
- Abul Kalam Azad, Special Envoy of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), under the Presidency of the Government of Bangladesh
- Dr Asha Mohammed, Secretary-General at the Kenya Red Cross Society
- Lisa Robinson (moderator), Head of Advisory at BBC Media Action.
About risk-informed early action
Advancements in tools and technologies means we have the ability to predict extreme weather events more accurately and to put measures in place that are proven to reduce vulnerability to disaster and enable quicker recovery, if introduced at the right time and in the right way. This can save lives and livelihoods, protect development and resilience gains and enable faster, cheaper and more dignified humanitarian assistance.
Given the many benefits of early warning and early action, it would be easy to assume that governments around the world have built this into their climate change plans. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Currently there is not enough money being invested in the tools, technologies and local capacities needed, and the approaches that have been tried and tested all too often remain in pilot or project level, with actors working in silos.
If we are to realise the benefits of risk-informed early action then we need to take this to scale – and quickly. This means more decisive leadership and decision-making by national and local governments, institutional donors and other authorities.
About REAP
REAP – the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership - brings together a growing number of stakeholders from across the climate, development and humanitarian communities with the aim of making one billion people safer from disaster by 2025. https://www.early-action-reap.org/COP26
Contact details: For more information, please contact Becky Slack at becky@slackcommunications.co.uk or on +44 (0) 7854 221 568.