Devastating floods in Brazil in April 2024, widespread flooding in Kenya in May 2024, massive floods in southern Germany and Austria in June 2024, accompanied by very early, very hot heatwaves in India, China, the south-west of the USA and south-east Europe show one thing very clearly: disasters caused by climate hazards are striking more frequently and more intensely around the world. In order to mitigate the worst consequences, we need to take countermeasures with risk management instruments. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is of particular importance. UNDRR and the Munich Re Foundation are putting the RISK Award at the service of disaster risk reduction and are launching the 2025 RISK Award – Call for Applications.
“Children and youths as agents of change for DRR”
Disasters don’t discriminate, yet some people are more at risk! This statement is becoming increasingly true. Analyses of the numbers of victims and people affected prove: countries in the Global South are more affected than countries in the Global North, and vulnerable people, such as marginalised groups, children, young people, women, people with disabilities and more, suffer disproportionally. Data from UNDRR shows that over 1 billion children have had their lives disrupted by disasters since 2000, with more than 80,000 schools damaged or destroyed. According to UNICEF, approximately one billion children worldwide are at extremely high risk due to climate impacts, including climate-related disasters.
To address this injustice, we are dedicating the 2025 RISK Award to the topic of “Children and youths as agents of change for DRR”. It is important to understand that children and young people are not only “victims”, but also have great potential to become risk managers themselves. They can contribute to their own safety, as well as that of their families and communities, in a variety of ways. This can happen through education and raising awareness, participation in DRR planning and decision making, community engagement as well as youth advocacy, amongst other approaches. Everyone is called upon to participate in disaster risk reduction, so if you are involved in disaster risk reduction projects for and with children and young people, this RISK Award is aiming at you. Our target region is developing and emerging countries in the Global South.
Serving further strategies
The Sendai Framework also emphasises the importance of children and young people in several places. E.g. it points out that they are agents of change and should be given the space and modalities to contribute to disaster risk reduction, in accordance with legislation, national practice and educational curricula. Further, children and youths are specifically in focus this year, be it at the UN Summit of the Future – Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow in September or at the International Day for Disaster Reduction (13 October) that is dedicated to the topic of “children and youths”. With the RISK Award, we contribute to this message. The RISK Award is at the service of this wider global agenda and we aim to contribute to increased safety for and with youths against climate hazards.
Winners ceremony
The winner(s) of the 2025 RISK Award will be officially announced at the Global Platform for DRR in June 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. We are very much looking forward to your initiatives and project ideas.
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