Strengthening Inclusive Disaster Risk Governance for Climate Resilience in Asia

The following are key examples of these achievements during 2024: Consortium Strengthening: Regular finance check-ins, budget consolidation, spot checks, and compliance orientations have ensured financial transparency and effective project management. Regional Advocacy & Influence: Engagement in gender-focused discussions, such as webinars and stakeholder meetings, has strengthened commitments toward inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR). Community-Level Adaptation: Local consultations in Thailand and the Philippines have improved Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) plans and strategic planning at the grassroots level. Financial Accountability: The project has implemented financial reviews, monitoring visits, audits, and reporting mechanisms to maintain integrity and prevent corruption. The following are example of results achieved under each outcome: Outcome 1 - Regional networks amplify local voices and influence duty-bearers to fulfill commitments on inclusive climate change adaptation and DRR actions. Results under this outcome include: i) Organized multiple webinars, including: 1) Gender & intersectionality (427 participants); 2) International Womens Day (IWD) consortium webinar (67 participants); and 3) AI for Public Good in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) (32 participants); and ii) Continued involvement in the Gender Stakeholder Group of the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction (APP-DRR). Outcome 2 - The power imbalances exacerbating climate and disaster risks facing women, men, girls, boys, and other at-risk groups are understood and mitigated. The project held several workshops such as, i) held an Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) capacity strengthening workshop (53 participants); ii) Facilitated a coordination meeting with the Republic of the Philippines Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) regional government; iii) Enhancement and updating of Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans in Guindulungan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, and Mamasapano in Maguindanao province, the Philippines. Outcome 3 - Communities, local governments, and other stakeholders strengthen sustainable local-level adaptive actions and contribute to environmental sustainability. The project organized several workshops under this outcome, such as: i) Roundtable discussion among Local Government Units (LGUs) and business sectors (business mapping) in Guindulungan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, and Mamasapano in the Philippines; ii) Implemented various Locally-Led Adaptation (LLA) and Disaster Risk Governance (DRG) projects across multiple countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines; and iii) Facilitated participatory drafting of Local-Level Adaptation (LLA) guidelines. Notable (unexpected) Outcomes: - High Engagement in Webinars: The gender and intersectionality webinar attracted a significantly high number of participants (427), especially women (304), indicating strong interest and relevance. - Strong Regional Collaboration: The partnership with AWS and engagement in Asia-Pacific regional platforms illustrate unexpected but valuable private-sector and regional collaboration. - Early Institutional Strengthening: The rapid development of tools for planning, monitoring, and storytelling, as well as regular finance check-ins and compliance orientations, have created a solid foundation for effective project management, exceeding early expectations.

The overall objective of the Programme is to increase adaptability and strengthen the resilience of communities at risk to climate change and disasters in Asia. In particular: Objective 1: regional networks will amplify local voices and influence duty bearers to fulfill commitments on inclusive climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction actions; Objective 2: power imbalances that exacerbate climate and disaster risks facing women, men, girls and boys, and other at risk groups, are understood and mitigated; Objective 3: communities, local government and other stakeholders will strengthen sustainable local-level adaptive actions and contribute to environmental sustainability.