South Asia delegates call for greater investment in community resilience and anticipatory action

KATHMANDU: Senior officials, practitioners and community actors from across South Asia on Friday urged greater investment in community-led resilience, inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR) and anticipatory action to reduce losses from climate-driven hazards.

The call came at the South Asia Policy Dialogue on “Building a Safer Future: Investing in Communities for Resilience,” jointly organised by Duryog Nivaran and Disaster Preparedness Network‑Nepal (DPNet Nepal) under the SIDRRA project. The event highlighted the need for evidence-based, community-centred approaches to disaster risk governance and climate resilience.

Speakers warned that disaster and climate risks in the region are growing in scale and complexity, and called for strengthened transboundary cooperation, anticipatory planning, risk-informed investment and community-led preparedness. Dr Basanta Raj Adhikari, president of DPNet Nepal, said disasters do not respect political or administrative boundaries and urged coordinated regional action.

The keynote address by Dipak Gyawali of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology stressed the importance of anticipating future risks and investing in systems that reduce losses before disasters occur. Panel discussions examined how governance must adapt to climate change, unfinished development challenges and shifting global priorities for disaster financing.

Gender inclusion was a major focus. Panellists pointed to persistent governance gaps that leave DRR gender-blind and non-inclusive, and called for Sex, Age and Disability-disaggregated data, gender and social analysis, and meaningful participation of women, girls, older persons, persons with disabilities and marginalised groups in risk assessments, preparedness planning, anticipatory action and recovery.

Organisers introduced a forthcoming Gender Checklist by Duryog Nivaran as a practical tool to support gender-responsive and socially inclusive DRR. Speakers urged that data be used to inform practical decisions such as early warning dissemination, evacuation planning, shelter design, resource allocation, local budgeting and targeted support to vulnerable groups.

The dialogue showcased South Asian examples of resilience building, including community-based flood early warning through citizen science and hydrometric monitoring in Nepal; index-based insurance and risk transfer for vulnerable farmers and low-income households; heat action planning and urban heat resilience measures from India; and governance lessons from Cyclone Ditwah recovery in Sri Lanka.

Participants emphasised that communities are not merely recipients of warnings but active producers, interpreters and messengers of risk information. Local rainfall and river-level observations, citizen scientists, women and youth volunteers, and digital platforms were highlighted as ways to strengthen trust, preparedness and timely local action.

Delegates also discussed the potential of index-based and parametric insurance to speed recovery for climate-affected households, noting the need for scientifically credible thresholds, government certification, premium subsidies, social protection linkages and collaboration among meteorological agencies, insurers, local governments and community groups.

On extreme heat, speakers drew attention to its invisible, compounding impacts on health, livelihoods, education and productivity, and recommended measures such as early warnings, heat-health advisories, cooling centres, adjusted work-rest schedules, cool roofs, shade, water access and stronger integration of heat risk into urban planning and public health systems.

Concluding the programme, Er Suraj Gautam, General Secretary of Disaster Preparedness Network‑Nepal, said technology and finance alone are insufficient to build a safer future and stressed that community trust, institutional commitment, meaningful participation and sustained investment are equally essential.

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