Lessons learned from practical experiences and from pilot programmes need to be reinvested in the decision-making process. Within the context of hazards caused by climate change and the need for resilient sustainable development, flexibility must be a key characteristic of the policymaking process if it is to be useful in situations characterized by persistent uncertainties, long time frames, emergence of new information, and the multidimensionality of the problem. Maintaining both flexibility through the various stages of the policy process and the capacity to change and iterate towards improved outcomes is crucial to ensuring that policy interventions are properly informed by the knowledge gained in the process.