The Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance (the Alliance) was launched ten years ago and now operates in more than 330 communities in some of the world’s most flood prone areas. In the past five years alone, its work has impacted over 3.1 million people and helped steer over USD 1.26 billion of funding towards flood resilience, exceeding the targets communicated in 2019.
The Alliance, funded by the Z Zurich Foundation, puts communities at the center of its work, with a focus on strengthening prevention capacities. A crucial part of that work is to gather meaningful information and insights from flood-affected communities in order to best focus policy and spending. In January 2023, the Foundation also launched the Urban Climate Resilience Program (UCRP) in nine countries around the world: Australia, Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the U.S. The UCRP builds upon the Alliance’s climate change work in mostly rural environments and expands into urban spaces.
In 2023, Alliance partner Plan International, launched an initiative in the Philippines with young people, aged 17-24, to give them a voice in decision-making. The initiative takes place in some of the highest risk barangays (communities) in the National Capital Region, involving three in Manila City and four in Navotas City.
The Alliance and many of its members attended COP28 in the United Arab Emirates to share expertise and advocate for the needs of flood prone communities across the globe. Two events, in particular, focused on climate change adaptation initiatives in Nepal where the Alliance has been active since its launch, working with local governments on the construction of flood-safe shelters, raising granaries, drainage and dikes, promoting early warning systems and conducting mock flood event drills.
The Alliance’s ten-year anniversary was also celebrated in Peru where work has focused on communities vulnerable to landslides and floods in key watersheds in the regions of Piura, Lima and Cusco. Activities in the Rimac river basin include first aid training, the development of family emergency plans and the construction of rain gauges. The project has now reached about 8,000 participants and has contributed to the formation of 31 ‘community brigades’ in the affected areas. The Alliance’s work on early warning systems (EWS) is being scaled nationally. As of December 2023, newly installed EWS are now benefiting about 457,000 people by alerting them of potentially dangerous flooding. Ultimately, the expansion of EWS is expected to impact the lives of over 9.3 million people living in the Rimac watershed.
In Mexico, the Tabasco region was chosen as the initial focus of the Flood Resilience Project due to its high susceptibility to flooding. Since 2013, the Flood Resilience Program has directly benefited more than 10,000 people in Mexico, with a further 300,000 indirectly benefited through large-scale communications, training and replication.
In Indonesia, the inspiring story of Tarudi and Muriah showcases the transformative power of practical solutions in protecting livelihoods in coastal communities in Central Java. Together with Mercy Corps and the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance, the Z Zurich Foundation is making a tangible difference in communities worldwide - supporting them in safeguarding lives and livelihoods, and working together to build a more resilient future. The related policy changes associated with the interventions in Indonesia have the potential to impact 1 million people.
At the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 the Alliance committed to the following which has been achieved:
Scaling up work in climate action, including advocating for the generation of an additional USD 1 billion from public and private sources in climate-smart, risk-informed development, which builds resilience.
Helping make 2 million people more resilient to flooding. The Alliance will elevate community voices and research findings with international donors and all levels of government to show why increased investment in flood resilience is urgently needed.
Engaging with other initiatives, including the Risk Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) of the Adaptation and Resilience workstream. |
A technician installs a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) station next to an old river measurement ruler on a bank of the Vilcanota River, Peru. Implemented by Practical Action, the LiDAR station monitors the river level as part of a network that provides more effective early warning of flood events, giving communities time to prepare and take action.
Photo credit: © Giorgio Madueño, Practical Action, August 2022
Community brigades in Tabasco, Mexico, established with the support of the Mexican Red Cross, conduct training on early warning systems. As well as leading preparation, prevention, and response activities in the face of potential hazards, these volunteer groups are advocating for change with local authorities and other disaster risk management actors.
Photo credit: © Mexican Red Cross, June 2022