Good governance of critical risks is key to protect lives, livelihoods and economic stability in face of more frequent disasters and crises and plays an important role in ensuring public trust in government capacity to address these challenges. Citizens expect governments to prepare for a wide range of critical risks with policies and investments that mitigate the impacts of disasters on society and the economy. Countries that integrate long‑term planning, coordination across government, and cooperation with non-government stakeholders into crisis preparedness and planning are better positioned not only to prioritize limited resources, but also to manage novel or unanticipated shocks.
The 2014 OECD Recommendation of the Council on the Governance of Critical Risks contributes a framework for global dialogue among its Adherents on strengths, leading practices and persistent gaps in facing risks of national significance. The Recommendation was developed by the High-level Risk Forum, under the purview of the Public Governance Committee and adopted by the OECD Council on 6 May 2014.
A first report assessing progress in the implementation of the Recommendation by its Adherents was submitted to Council in 2018. The report concluded that Adherents demonstrated strong implementation across three of the Recommendation’s five pillars, however it identified gaps in disaster risk reduction efforts, especially related to critical infrastructure resilience, and also in continuous learning from past crises. This current report updates that assessment and identifies key challenges in preparing for future changes to the critical risk landscape. It draws on information collected through the ‘Survey on Governance of Critical Risks’ and ‘Survey on Governance of Critical Infrastructure Resilience’ carried out in 2022-25. It highlights Adherents’ efforts over the period 2018-2024 to implement the Recommendation in a context marked by poly-crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and disruptive impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. It categorises a growing number of critical risks facing countries and documents the importance that better anticipation of emerging risks will play for future readiness.
This report demonstrates how the governance of critical risks contributes directly to the OECD's Government Unstuck agenda and the Reinforcing Democracy Initiative. To meet rising citizen expectations and navigate an increasingly volatile world, governments must move beyond reactive crisis management towards a more anticipatory, coordinated and resilient model of governance. Robust risk governance supports this transformation by fostering strategic foresight, strengthening cross-government coordination, and promoting partnerships across the whole-of-society. In doing so, it equips governments not only with insights on policies to withstand future shocks, but also to act with greater confidence, agility and legitimacy in delivering better outcomes for citizens.