Explainer: Why Gender Matters in Disaster Risk Reduction

Oct 13, 2025 | UN Women Europe and Central Asia
UN Women
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Disasters are happening more often, costing more, and affecting more lives than ever before. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is not just reacting when a crisis hits. It’s about preventing new risks, reducing existing ones, and managing the challenges that remain. Simply put, it’s about building resilience and protecting progress toward sustainable development.

Every year on 13 October, the world marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. It serves as a reminder to look at who is most affected when disasters strike - and why gender makes a difference. This year’s theme, “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” calls for a decisive shift: fund resilience now to avoid paying a much higher price later.

Learn why and how UN Women is putting this into practice in three countries from the Europe and Central Asia region - Georgia, Tajikistan, and Türkiye – with one important principle in mind: women and girls must always be at the center of these efforts.