Red Cross Calls for Increased Disaster Preparedness Funding Ahead of COP31

(MENAFN) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) called on governments Wednesday to boost financial support for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, warning that increasingly severe weather events are exposing vulnerable populations to growing dangers.

With the UN COP31 climate conference scheduled to begin next week in Antalya, Türkiye, the federation emphasized that strengthening disaster preparedness is "increasingly critical," particularly as forecasts indicate that a stronger El Nino phenomenon could intensify extreme weather conditions in the coming months.

Recent research conducted for the IFRC and WWF estimated that nature-based approaches could reduce the intensity of climate-related and weather-driven disasters by approximately 31%.

These initiatives could also help developing economies avoid annual financial losses worth at least $148 billion by 2030, with potential savings reaching $577 billion by 2050.

"But far too many communities still lack the support they need to prepare for increasingly severe climate risks," said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain.

He urged governments to move beyond climate commitments by directing funding toward practical initiatives capable of protecting communities, livelihoods and human lives.

To highlight the importance of preparedness, the federation pointed to recent flooding in Nepal, where a school head teacher who had received disaster response training managed to evacuate 1,600 students just minutes before floodwaters destroyed their school.

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