In the last 100 years, instances of disaster and national crisis have increased 50-fold, with their severity and frequency also rising over time. In a context of urgency, the leaders of today have a duty to foster a culture of resilience and build the appropriate resilience systems across government that will benefit future generations. While government preparedness for crisis varies world-wide, program spending has typically followed a ‘boom and bust’ cycle when disaster strikes.

This reactionary approach often results in absence of national leadership, unclear resilience arrangements, misalignment across government entities, lack of scalability in national response systems, and vulnerable communities. Notably, it also leads to socioeconomic value at risk that could reach $30 trillion (USD equivalent) globally, over the next two decades. To avert such losses and to limit the risks to citizens, societies, and economies in times of crisis, the onus is now on government leaders to develop enhanced national resilience systems, shaped by a collaborative, whole-of-economy, and citizen-centric approach.