Homepage of the Quick Risk Estimation (QRE) Tool for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Businesses big and small face a range of risks from hazards, disasters, climate change and COVID-19 which prioritize the need for resiliency and continuity planning.

This is especially true for micro and small enterprises that represent over 90% of private sector entities in Asia and the Pacific region.

The new Quick Risk Estimation (QRE) Tool was recently launched by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), through its iPrepare Business Facility, provided technical inputs and review of the tool prior to its launch.

The tool aims to help small and informal businesses better understand their exposure and vulnerability to disaster risks, especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Exciting new features include an interactive questionnaire that produces a real-time dashboard which points business and enterprise owners to their estimated general risk level, particularly to COVID-19.

The results take into consideration business size, type, and geographic location, along with a number of other factors, and then points to corrective actions to self-assess the changing level and type of business risk.

The tool was developed with support from the Resilience Innovation and Knowledge Academy (RIKA) and Profecia Links.

ADPC’s iPrepare Business facility is a dedicated unit for engaging the private sector in disaster risk management (DRM). The facility focuses on building disaster-resilient businesses in the region through partnerships to strengthen the resilience of the private sector, particularly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).