Listening to local voices on disaster risk financing

Exploring how disaster risk financing can be better localised

GNDR is working with the Centre for Disaster Protection on a project to explore how disaster risk financing can be better localised – so that resources reach communities and civil society organisations on the front lines of disasters, when and where they are needed most.

To ground this work in lived experience, we convened focus group discussions with members across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and fragile and conflict-affected settings. These conversations brought together local organisations to share how they navigate disaster risk financing, what stands in their way, and what needs to change.

What our members are telling us

Across regions, members spoke about the frustration of trying to prepare communities without reliable funding, and the reality that money often arrives only after disaster strikes. Short-term project cycles, rigid donor requirements and limited direct access to funding continue to constrain locally led action.

Participants also highlighted the importance of predictable and accessible financing, stronger coordination among actors, and genuine recognition of local leadership and expertise.

Strengthening collective advocacy for locally led financing

These focus group discussions are part of our commitment to centre our members’ voices in global conversations on disaster risk financing. The insights will feed into our advocacy with donors, policymakers and international financing mechanisms, pushing for systems that enable communities to act earlier, lead responses, and build long-term resilience.

By bringing together local perspectives from across regions, we’re strengthening collective calls for financing models that shift power, trust local actors, and invest in local institutions.