World Risk Report 2024: Urgent need for action in times of crisis
The new World Risk Report 2024 by the Alliance Development Works (BEH) and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) calls for new strategies in crisis prevention and risk management. Focusing on "Multiple Crises," the report vividly illustrates how climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and health crises are closely intertwined and what far-reaching consequences these crises have for global security and development.
The world under the spell of multiple crises
Extreme weather events, wars, and emerging health threats like polio and MPOX: Global crises are ubiquitous and increasingly overwhelming international aid systems. “Our world is gripped by multiple crises. They reinforce each other and create new, threatening challenges for global security. The World Risk Report 2024 shows with alarming clarity: The international community must act decisively and immediately,” emphasizes Dr. Ilona Auer Frege, Managing Director of the Alliance Development Works. “Our traditional crisis management is no longer sufficient in the face of multiple crises. We urgently need innovative and integrated approaches to disaster risk management,” adds Dr. Katrin Radtke, Senior Researcher at the IFHV of Ruhr University Bochum and Scientific Director of the report.
Global risks on the rise
The World Risk Index 2024 assesses the disaster risk for 193 countries, encompassing over 99 percent of the world's population. While the known risk hotspots remain in the Americas and Asia, the report shows that, in the long term, the risk is shifting towards countries with climate-sensitive exposure and high vulnerability.
Germany has improved slightly in the ranking, placing 98th with a risk score of 4.1, but remains in the middle of the global field. This underscores the need for comprehensive efforts to minimize risk.
A special analysis in the form of new map data also shows that the risk profile of many countries is not only characterized by extreme weather events, but increasingly also by ongoing conflicts. Regions in Central and North Africa, Central and South America, and South Asia are particularly affected, where conflicts further exacerbate the already high risk levels.