The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) as a partner, is pleased to announce the commencement of a new regional project with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) titled "Enhancing Asia and the Pacific’s Readiness for Resilient Disaster Recovery. The project commenced in October 2025 and will continue until December 2028. Funding for the program was received from the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific, financed by the Government of Japan through ADB.

The program will work closely with governments in Bangladesh, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, and Timor-Leste, helping these participating countries conduct structured assessments of their recovery readiness, prepare recovery readiness roadmaps and financial preparedness plans, improve disaster-responsive public financial management systems, and capture lessons from past disaster recovery experiences through nationally led after-action reviews. It will work with the countries to establish regional cooperation to encourage learning between them, and to develop a common toolkit for learning from past recovery experiences, while facilitating training and capacity-building activities for government officials. By fostering broad stakeholder engagement, including women’s groups, at-risk communities, and the private sector, the project seeks to ensure that recovery planning processes are inclusive and participatory.

This initiative comes at a critical juncture as countries in Asia and the Pacific face growing exposure to natural hazards that disrupt development progress and strain public institutions. The need for systems, processes, and capacities in readiness for swift recovery after disasters has been highlighted due to the increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards across the region. This is particularly important since delays in recovery, often caused by limitations in governance systems, public financial management, financial resources, and fund flow management, as well as implementation capacities, invariably exacerbate the impact of disasters, especially for the most vulnerable groups.

By the end of 2028, participating countries are expected to be better equipped to plan, finance, and manage disaster recovery in ways that are sustainable, gender-responsive, and nationally owned, contributing to stronger resilience across Asia and the Pacific.