International Recovery Platform

What International Recovery Platform does

The International Recovery Platform (IRP) is a non-profit, UN-affiliated global knowledge-sharing partnership established in 2005 following the Second UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. It operates as an international mechanism under the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to facilitate knowledge exchange and coordinate efforts around disaster recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction, with a specific mandate tied to Priority 4 ("Build Back Better") of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The platform is governed by a Steering Committee of 14 member organizations including the Asian Development Bank, UNDP, UNOPS, WHO, UNESCO, UNEP, UN-Habitat, UNDRR, GFDRR, the Asian Disaster Reduction Center, the Cabinet Office of Japan, Hyogo Prefectural Government, and Italy's National Civil Protection Department.

IRP delivers its services primarily through a web-based knowledge platform hosted at recovery.preventionweb.net, which aggregates over 2,571 guidance documents, post-disaster needs assessments (PDNA) reports, disaster recovery frameworks, case studies, and thematic resources across 24 recovery themes. Core offerings include the Recovery Help Desk (a government-facing request routing mechanism for technical assistance), curated Disaster Recovery Experience Collections, the annual International Recovery Forum in Kobe, recurring training programs (e.g., PDNA Online Training, Health Disaster Recovery Needs Assessment), and the IRP Herald newsletter. The Secretariat in Kobe coordinates with Steering Committee agencies to provide multi-stakeholder responses to governments requesting recovery support.

The platform operates on a non-commercial model: all resources and services are free of charge, with operations supported through partner contributions from UN agencies, international financial institutions, and participating governments. Its primary users are national and subnational government agencies in disaster-affected and disaster-prone countries, supplemented by UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society organizations. The organization maintains a lean operational footprint of approximately 5 employees, with its value delivered through curated content, network coordination, and institutional convening rather than commercial products.

Name

International Recovery Platform

Legal name

International Recovery Platform

Website

https://recovery.preventionweb.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Recovery Platform (IRP) is a UN-affiliated global partnership operating a web-based knowledge platform for disaster recovery guidance, PDNAs, and case studies, serving national governments, UN agencies, and NGOs across 100+ countries under a 14-member Steering Committee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disaster Recovery Knowledge Services

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Disaster recovery knowledge
• Resilient recovery guidance
• Post-disaster needs assessment
• Build back better
• Disaster risk reduction

Headquarters

HQ city

Kobe

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Non-commercial / UN Partnership: IRP is a UN-affiliated global partnership initiative that operates as a knowledge-sharing and coordination mechanism. It does not generate commercial revenue. Operations are supported through partner contributions, primarily from UN agencies, international financial institutions, and participating governments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IRP operates a web-based global knowledge platform that aggregates and shares disaster recovery resources, PDNA guidance, disaster recovery frameworks, country- and disaster-specific case studies, and thematic guidance across 24 recovery themes to help governments and practitioners build back better after disasters. It also operates the Recovery Help Desk mechanism, through which national and subnational governments can request technical assistance routed to relevant Steering Committee member agencies, and convenes the annual International Recovery Forum in Kobe, Japan.

Product overview

The International Recovery Platform (IRP) is a web-based knowledge-sharing platform and global partnership operated by UNDRR, not a software product with modules. The platform provides access to disaster recovery resources including the Recovery Help Desk service (a request/routing mechanism for government technical assistance), Disaster Recovery Experience Collections (case studies from past disasters), PDNA Resources (post-disaster needs assessment guidance and reports), Disaster Recovery Framework Resources, the annual International Recovery Forum event, and the IRP Herald newsletter publication. These offerings work together to advance the field of resilient recovery and support implementation of Priority 4 of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Recovery Platform (IRP) Website A web-based global knowledge platform that aggregates and shares disaster recovery resources, guidance, case studies, and lessons learned on building back better in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. Available in English and Japanese with free access.
• Recovery Help Desk A mechanism for national and subnational government representatives to submit requests for disaster recovery-related guidance, capacity building, or technical assistance. Requests are routed by the Secretariat to appropriate IRP Steering Committee member agencies for review and coordinated responses.
• International Recovery Forum An annual forum convening senior policymakers and practitioners to exchange experiences and facilitate discussion on challenges to resilient recovery and opportunities for building back better. Held annually in Kobe, Japan.
• Disaster Recovery Experience Collections Curated collections of resources documenting recovery experiences from various disasters including earthquakes, cyclones, floods, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires across multiple countries.
• Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) Resources Comprehensive guidance, PDNA reports, and resources supporting post-disaster needs assessment methodology, including guidelines adapted to specific sectors and countries.
• Disaster Recovery Framework Resources Resources and guidance documents to guide the development of Disaster Recovery Frameworks (DRFs), along with a library of published disaster recovery frameworks from various countries.
• IRP Herald Newsletter A periodic knowledge report/newsletter summarizing recovery-related content from IRP activities, forums, and global events on disaster risk reduction.
• Training Programs Scheduled masterclasses, dialogues, and recurring online courses including PDNA Online Training, Health Disaster Recovery Needs Assessment, and National Disaster Recovery Framework Overview.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Asian Development Bank (ADB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005ADB is a Steering Committee member of IRP, contributing to the partnership's governance and providing disaster recovery expertise. ADB develops sector guides for Build Back Better and conducts PDNA simulations and training.
• Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005ADPC serves as a Steering Committee member, contributing technical expertise in disaster preparedness and risk reduction for recovery programming.
• Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005ADRC is a Steering Committee member providing disaster reduction expertise and hosting events including the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Resilient Recovery.
• Cabinet Office (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005The Cabinet Office of Japan is a Steering Committee member and co-host of major IRP events including the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Resilient Recovery in Kobe, Japan.
• Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005GFDRR is a Steering Committee member providing expertise in disaster risk reduction financing and recovery programs, including resilient housing and critical infrastructure support.
• Hyogo Prefectural GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Host government partner for IRP activities, based in Kobe where the IRP Secretariat is located. Co-host of International Recovery Forums and other events.
• National Civil Protection Department (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Italy's civil protection department is a Steering Committee member contributing European perspectives on disaster risk management and recovery.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005UNDP is a Steering Committee member and key partner in developing recovery guidance, private sector recovery programming, and livelihoods recovery approaches.
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005UNESCO serves as a Steering Committee member contributing expertise on cultural heritage protection in disaster recovery and education continuity.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005UNEP is a Steering Committee member contributing environmental and ecosystem perspectives to disaster recovery and sustainable reconstruction guidance.
• United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005UN-HABITAT is a Steering Committee member contributing expertise on urban recovery, housing, and settlement reconstruction.
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005UNDRR is the parent organization for IRP, providing secretariat services and hosting the IRP website through PreventionWeb. Leads coordination of the Sendai Framework implementation.
• United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005UNOPS is a Steering Committee member and contributor of disaster recovery guidance including the 'From rubble to resource' circular rubble management guidance.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005WHO is a Steering Committee member contributing health sector expertise to disaster recovery and developing Health Disaster Recovery Needs Assessment training.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ReliefWeb: ReliefWeb is the UN OCHA humanitarian information portal that aggregates reports, maps, and job listings on humanitarian response and recovery. It overlaps with IRP as a UN-affiliated knowledge repository serving practitioners and policymakers in disaster-affected contexts.
• Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC): ADPC is an IRP Steering Committee member that provides technical expertise in disaster preparedness and risk reduction, including training and capacity building across Asia. Its programmatic focus on DRR capacity development closely mirrors IRP's training and Help Desk offerings.
• PreventionWeb: PreventionWeb is the UNDRR-hosted knowledge platform that physically hosts IRP's web presence (recovery.preventionweb.net). It is the most directly comparable knowledge-sharing platform in the DRR space, with overlapping content on Sendai Framework implementation.
• Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR): GFDRR is a World Bank-hosted partnership and IRP Steering Committee member with an overlapping mandate in disaster risk reduction financing, resilient housing, and recovery programming. It shares IRP's model of curating knowledge products and convening practitioners around disaster recovery.
• Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC): ADRC is an IRP Steering Committee member providing disaster reduction expertise and co-hosting the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Resilient Recovery. It serves as a comparable regional hub for DRR knowledge sharing with similar convening and publication functions.

Others

• Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT): HOT is a community-driven open data initiative producing map data used in disaster response and recovery. It is adjacent to IRP as an enabling knowledge/data infrastructure used by the same DRR and humanitarian practitioner ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR): UNDRR is IRP's parent organization and the UN's lead agency for disaster risk reduction, hosting the PreventionWeb platform where IRP sits. It is the broader institutional incumbent that sets the Sendai Framework policy agenda IRP operationalizes.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): IFRC is a large humanitarian network operating globally on disaster response and recovery with extensive operational presence in affected countries. It overlaps with IRP on the recovery dimension of the disaster cycle and operates a far larger and more distributed delivery model.

Emerging players

• Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED): CRED is a research center specializing in disaster data, epidemiology, and the EM-DAT database used globally for disaster impact analysis. It is comparable to IRP as a specialized knowledge producer serving the same DRR practitioner community, though with a narrower data/research focus.
• Build Change: Build Change is an NGO focused on disaster-resilient housing reconstruction and building code enforcement in post-disaster contexts. It is thematically comparable to IRP as a Build Back Better-aligned actor but operates as a field-delivery NGO rather than a UN knowledge platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IRPsecretariat
• Facebookfacebook.com/recoveryplatform.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-recovery-platform

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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