The Small Island States Resilience Initiative (SISRI), funded by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and the World Bank, seeks to decrease the effects of natural disasters on small island nations, which are particularly vulnerable to such events. Natural disasters significantly contribute to global poverty. Preventionweb notes that impoverished individuals tend to live in hazard-prone areas and lack the resources to invest in measures that reduce risks. Consequently, people in these areas often lack adequate insurance and social protection, meaning their limited assets are usually spent trying to recover from the last natural disaster.

Global Impact of Natural Disasters on Poverty

Preventionweb reports that of the approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide at risk of or exposed to flooding, 89% reside in low to middle-income countries. Drought is one of the most severe causes of poverty globally, particularly in small island nations. Other significant risks include the previously mentioned flooding and tropical storms. These are among the deadliest and most severe natural disasters, posing the greatest threat and highest risk of poverty.

Loss of life is the primary consequence of these  ongoing issues, but other risks include injuries, home damage, loss of livelihood, displacement, health implications and food insecurity, among others. The Small Island States Resilience Initiative addresses these challenges. This initiative responds to calls from small islands for more support in mitigating climate change and natural disaster risks that significantly affect their populations, assets, ecosystems and economies.

Goals and Strategies of SISRI

The primary goal of the SISRI is to alleviate the risks and reduce the burdens that natural disasters often impose. The project focuses on protecting coastal areas, establishing safety nets for citizens and providing expert assistance in assessing flood and landslide risks. SISRI also supports these nations in constructing safer infrastructure. Additionally, it fosters a global community where island practitioners can share and access worldwide knowledge on risk management.

Small island states are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. For instance, countries experiencing the highest losses from these disasters include small island nations, which account for more than 60% of such cases. These losses can represent up to 9% of a small island nation’s GDP. Moreover, in the last 50 years, Pacific island nations have incurred more than $3 billion in damages from natural disasters. Despite these ongoing challenges, initiatives like the Small Island States Resilience Initiative, coupled with external support, can significantly impact these regions.

Implementation and Achievements of SISRI

SISRI is enhancing the resilience of small island nations by building larger pipelines for investments that can withstand climate change impacts. This initiative focuses on increasing these areas’ capacity to adapt to extreme weather events. There are three main goals SISRI aims to achieve: helping small island nations document climate finance assistance, increasing the scale and efficiency of investments and upscaling and consolidating support to shift from fragmented smaller projects to broader national initiatives that deliver more significant results.

SISRI leverages the expertise of a broader team from GFDRR and the World Bank to provide technical and operational advice. These experts address project bottlenecks and launch new investments that enhance flood and landslide risk assessments, develop safer infrastructure and strengthen social and financial safety nets. For example, in Jamaica, SISRI is protecting vulnerable coastal zones by integrating existing coastal defenses, such as seawalls and mangroves.

Using a practitioner network, SISRI connects practitioners to share knowledge and experience, enhancing resilience on small islands. Several meetings with support groups have already occurred, including the 2018 Understanding Risk Forum in Mexico City and the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun. These gatherings aim to better educate small island nations on optimal risk management strategies for natural disasters.

Through SISRI, the World Bank aims to enhance enabling environments and stakeholder capacity and to prepare proposals, projects and pipelines. While this initiative significantly supports small island nations in combating poverty and recovering from natural disasters, which often devastate economies and lives, more efforts are necessary to ensure these communities can recover and thrive after such events.

Looking Ahead

Currently, SISRI operates in East Asia, the Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa, assisting about 37 countries. The Initiative plays a vital role in enhancing the resilience of vulnerable island nations against natural disasters. By focusing on protecting coastal areas, improving infrastructure and providing technical assistance, SISRI aims to mitigate the severe impacts of these events. Continued support and investment in these ongoing initiatives could safeguard communities and promote sustainable recovery and development.

– Lachlan Wellington

Lachlan is based in Fareham, Hampshire, UK and focuses on Technology and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

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