A Framework for Transforming the Relationship between Development and Disaster Risk

This working paper argues that many current development models create disaster risks and that a transformative approach is required to align development with the Sendai Framework and Sustainable Development Goals. It emphasizes that resilience alone is insufficient and that structural power relations must be challenged to ensure equitable outcomes for marginalized groups.

• Current development models are often unsustainable and contribute to the creation of disaster risks, such as when beachfront property development leads to the removal of natural storm-surge protection barriers. Conversely, disasters can erase development gains, and existing DRR and resilience strategies frequently fail to sufficiently support sustainable development and social equity.
• Achieving simultaneous progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Sendai Framework targets is a complex task requiring diverse stakeholders and disciplines. The authors propose that transformation is a necessary path to shift from development patterns that unfairly distribute or increase risk toward outcomes that are sustainable, resilient, and equitable for all.
• While resilience is often used to integrate DRR and development, it is insufficient on its own. To ensure that marginalized and poor groups benefit from investments, it is necessary to challenge dominant narratives, vested interests, power relations, and existing structures that perpetuate vulnerability, inequality, and poverty.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2019). A Framework for Transforming the Relationship between Development and Disaster Risk. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-framework-for-transforming-the-relationship-between-development-and-disaster-risk/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. A Framework for Transforming the Relationship between Development and Disaster Risk. 2019. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-framework-for-transforming-the-relationship-between-development-and-disaster-risk/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=A Framework for Transforming the Relationship between Development and Disaster Risk |date=11 May 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/a-framework-for-transforming-the-relationship-between-development-and-disaster-risk/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2019framework, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{A Framework for Transforming the Relationship between Development and Disaster Risk}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/a-framework-for-transforming-the-relationship-between-development-and-disaster-risk/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }