Natural disasters and their associated damages severely impact people around the world every year. Increases in exposure and vulnerability at a global level, linked to the multiple concurrent trends such as climate change, population growth and globalization of supply chains are making it imperative to find strategies to manage disasters more holistically. 

Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) is an approach for dealing with the risk and manifestation of natural disasters. It is characterized by a holistic perspective with regards to the various components of risk management. IDRM differs from previous concepts in the disaster-management paradigm, which focused almost exclusively on response, failing to pay attention to opportunities for reducing and transferring the risk and/or potential impact of natural disasters in an integrated manner.

This roadmap was developed from work undertaken on IDRM as part of the project “Developing Disaster Risk Management Approaches for Climate Risks in Ghana” and aimed at preparing the ground for implementing risk-transfer solutions within an integrated flood-risk management approach for municipalities of GAMA (Greater Accra Metropolitan Area) in Ghana. The project was implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Allianz Re in co-operation with local partners in Ghana, most notably the three pilot districts of Accra, AMA, Ga East and Ga West.