Publications

Climate shocks are growing more frequent and intense, and they hit the poorest and most vulnerable households hardest—often forcing them to sell assets or cut spending on food, health, and education. Yet very little crisis finance is arranged before disasters strike, and an even smaller share is linked to the systems that actually deliver assistance to people.

This joint World Bank–World Food Programme policy note sets out why and how to close that gap by connecting disaster risk finance (DRF) with adaptive social protection (ASP). The approach rests on three interlinked building blocks: money in, risk-layered financing arranged in advance through contingency funds, contingent credit, and insurance; money out, social protection systems that channel funds quickly to affected households; and system preparedness, the data, institutions, delivery mechanisms, and financing strategies that allow systems to scale up when a shock hits.

Drawing on country experience from Bangladesh, Dominica, Haiti, Malawi, Mali, and Sierra Leone, the note shows how this integration can make disaster response faster, more predictable, and more cost-effective—protecting lives and livelihoods before, during, and after crises.