Written official Statement from Sweden

Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I am honoured to speak at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

We are all well aware why this meeting is important. 

Humanitarian needs across the globe are growing massively due to conflicts. They are amplified by the effects of climate change, natural hazards, and the impact of Covid-19. 

The poorest and the most vulnerable are always hardest hit. Disasters push millions of people into poverty each year.

Women and girls suffer more from disasters as they worsen gender discrimination and inequalities.

More than 1 billion people live in countries with on-going conflicts and acute climate threats.

This figure will increase dramatically if we don’t invest more in disaster risk reduction and anticipatory action.

To address complex risks, establish early warning systems, and adapt to a changing climate, saves lives, and protect resources. Resilience is localised. And costs are cut before they multiply.  
Drivers of risk such as conflict and forced migration are mitigated and sometimes even prevented.

Acting ahead of crisis is key to sustainable socioeconomic development, and to gender equality.

We must gather around the understanding that risk-informed planning and acting ahead of crisis will only become reality with a systematic approach. This requires blended financing across actors and sectors. 

We need to be innovative and pragmatic and do more with existing funding and financial mechanisms.

Climate financing must for example also be allocated to early warning systems, anticipatory action and other risk reducing measures.  
Not the least in fragile and vulnerable countries and humanitarian crises. The gap in building resilience, adaptation, and mitigation needs to be bridged.  
The devastating drought and risk of famine in Somalia and elsewhere on the Horn of Africa clearly showcase that this is urgent.  
Triggers for such climate financing could be similar to those of the Central Emergency Response Fund for anticipatory action.

I firmly believe development actors like the World Bank, the Regional Development Banks as well as the private sector need to be more engaged.  
They must lead by example in financing early warning, early action and disaster risk reduction, also in fragile and vulnerable countries. One possible option to explore is if development actors could fund anticipatory action through CERF. 

For disaster risk reduction and building local resilience. It is critical to leverage women’s voices, agency, and leadership.

It is essential to increase nature-based solutions as biodiversity is key for building resilient ecosystems.  Climate action and disaster risk reduction must be integrated into national policies, processes, and budgets to realize the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the targets of the Sendai Framework. 
Finally, donors – including non-traditional ones – and the private sector must urgently increase funding, particular flexible funding.  Sweden is proud to be a top donor of flexible funding to the UN system.  
We reaffirm our intention to double climate finance to 1.5 billion US dollars by 2025, not the least related to climate change adaptation.  
We all must explore innovative financing - such as guarantees - to promote investments. 

Thank you for your attention!