Strengthening SME Resilience Through City, Finance & Tech Collaboration

Background

Recent disasters, including the DANA storm in Valencia, the Iberian blackout and record heatwaves and wildfires are disrupting economic activity in Spain, and Europe more broadly (European Environment Agency 2025). In the EU, SMEs represent 99% of all businesses (European Commission, 2023) and many deliver essential services such as transport, retail and utilities that directly support urban resilience. Large corporations also depend on SMEs within their supply chains to maintain continuity during disruptions. SMEs also play a significant role in driving innovation against increasingly complex and systemic disaster risks.

In Barcelona, SMEs - including small retailers and tourism businesses - are highly exposed. A recent UNDRR study shows that while most have already faced disaster-related disruptions, only a minority have a formal Business Continuity Plan. Despite their central role in the city's resilience, many lack the time, funding, and technical capacity to prepare for and recover from crises. Existing frameworks, alert systems, training programs, and funding initiatives that support climate resilience are not tailored to SMEs, even though their vulnerability has wide-ranging consequences across sectors and society, underscoring the need for collaborative efforts to strengthen their disaster preparedness.

Session description 

Organized as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress, this breakout session will bring together city authorities, SMEs, larger corporates, business associations and other experts to explore policies and innovative solutions that can help SMEs better prepare for and adapt to disaster risks. Discussions will focus on the role of SMEs as users and producers of essential services, their access to finance and insurance, the importance of risk-informed business models, and leveraging technologies and PPPs for improving their disaster resilience. More specifically, the session explores ways to: 

1. Improve access to finance & insurance: Exploring how concessional loans, grants and risk-transfer products can be designed to meet SME needs during disasters.
2. Create resilient business models: Sharing tools and resources for business continuity planning and incentives that encourage SMEs to embed resilience in their operations.
3. Leverage technology for resilience: Discussing digital platforms, data analytics and early warning systems that help SMEs anticipate and respond to threats.
4. Foster public-private partnerships: Examining structures and practices that link ARISE networks, chambers, DRR bodies, insurers and service providers for coordinated planning and response.

UNDRR and partners will use the inputs to inform capacity-building needs, recommendations, and potential future approaches for enhancing SME resilience in collaboration with governments, business associations and other public and private actors.

A full agenda is available for download at the bottom of this page.

Speakers

• Ramón Canal, Climate Plan Coordinator, Barcelona City Council
• Edgar Garcia, Chief, Risk & Control Officer, Celsa Group / Representative of Spanish Association of Risk and Insurance Management (AGERS)
• Laurent Giezendanner, Head of Corporate Security, Syngenta Group
• Leonie Hehn, Sunstainability Manager, Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona
• Lazaros Karaoulis, CEO, Athens Development Agency for Digital Policy (DAEM)
• Lorenzo Lopez, General Manager, Hostal Girona
• Alejandro Marti, CEO, Mitiga Solutions
• Adriana Solano Luque, Executive President, Consejo Colombiano de Seguridad / ARISE Colombia
• Josep Xurigué, Associate Director, Barcelona Comerç Foundation

The session will be moderated by Ignasi Fontanals and Tiina Mylly from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Registration

Please note that participants will need to register for the Smart City Expo World Congress. More information and link to register here. If needed, you can request a visitor pass (code) from [email protected] to get access to this session.