Author(s) Ishiwatari, Mikio

Investing in disaster risk reduction: Scale and effect of investment in flood protection in Asia

Source

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Investment in disaster risk reduction (DRR) is indispensable for enhancing resilience and for achieving sustainable development. Therefore, understanding the current scale and effects of DRR investment is crucial for promoting it. This paper analyzes the current scale and trends of investment in flood protection and investment efficiency in Asia. The findings show that major flood-prone economies in Asia recently invested USD57 billion per year in flood protection, accounting for 0.26% of the total GDP of these economies. The total investment of nine developing economies accounts for 4.2% of their infrastructure investment. Low-income economies are unable to invest significantly in flood protection due to financial constraints and the need to invest in other priority areas. However, once economies reach the low-middle income stage, they have more financial leeway and can start increasing investment in flood protection. Asian economies have been investing efficiently in flood protection, with the benefits of investment increasing more than economic development and investment.

This paper is a contribution to the 2019 edition of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR 2019).