In 2015, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) was adopted in Sendai, Japan. Its goals include reducing disaster risks and the loss of human life, livelihoods and health, as well as strengthening the resilience of people and institutions to disasters. The framework, similar to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), covers the period until 2030, so that 2023 marks its halfway point. The Global Governance Spotlight 1|2023 assesses the implementation of the agreement up to today, while the Coronavirus pandemic and advancing climate change remind us of the importance of disaster risk reduction.