Building International Collaboration to Enhance Supply System Resilience
À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Climate Institute partners with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for the Americas and the Caribbean to lead international disaster risk workshop Â
Supply systems are fundamental to the business ecosystem. To strengthen the resilience of these supply systems in regions facing growing climate risks, there is a need to better understand how they work, identify the vulnerabilities, and recognize shared opportunities for risk reduction. This will enable better long-term investment in climate change adaptation.Ìý
At the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, researchers from the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Climate Institute led an interactive learning lab on building stronger, more resilient supply systems. Participants explored novel ways of understanding shared risks in supply systems and discussed multi-organization approaches to reduce disaster risk and invest in long-term solutions.ÌýÂ
The Learning Lab brought together stakeholders from around the world and gave us an opportunity to refine our research findings and outline key steps for our project’s investment approach. It also sparked discussion about rethinking ‘supply chains’ as ‘supply systems’, a novel idea to support multi-organization climate adaptation strategies and planning tools for the future.
The lab was led by Dr. Jose Di Bella, principal investigator of a Natural Resources Canada Climate Adaptation grant under the National Adaptation Strategy, and manager of research and partnerships at the Climate Institute. He was joined by project partners Dr. Yezid Niño, Private Sector Advisor for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for the Americas and the Caribbean, and Adam McAllister, Chair of the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE) Canada. Together, they engaged participants in a dynamic dialogue about supply system resilience.ÌýÂ
During the lab, the researchers shared steps to strengthen partner collaboration and build joint climate adaptation strategies across organizations. They highlighted a key shift in investment priorities – moving from a business centered approach to partner-focused solutions for disaster resilience. The lab also gave them the opportunity to demonstrate their climate risk mapping tool, which is already being used in workshops with businesses, associations, disaster risk reduction consultants, academics, insurance companies and other experts across Canada, Colombia, Honduras and Mexico.Ìý
The learning lab was the perfect platform to launch their training video “Building Disaster Resilience across Business Supply Systems: Understanding, planning and Investing in Climate Change Adaptation. The video showcases an innovative roadmap for businesses to better understand, map and manage shared climate risks, and to identify opportunities for climate adaptation.Ìý Â
The learning lab was part of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which took place in Geneva Switzerland from June 2-6th, 2025. The lab and the work presented are part of a larger research project led by UNDRR ROAC in partnership with the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Climate Institute, the Trade Facilitation Office of Canada, and the ARISE networks of Canada, Mexico, Honduras, and Colombia.Ìý Â
For more information please visit the project webpage.Ìý