Disaster Risk Reduction Programming in Asia and the Pacific

Asia-Pacific is the most climate-exposed and disaster-prone region in the world. As many as 65% of children in East Asia are exposed to multiple shocks which are becoming increasingly frequent, especially flooding, drought, saltwater inundation, and climate-related diseases. Children and families living in poverty are particularly vulnerable, bearing the brunt of these recurrent crises and their longterm consequences.

The pandemic hit vulnerable families the hardest, including children, women, and people with disabilities. Many struggled with worsening economic and social conditions, leading to poor mental and physical health. Routine vaccinations dropped, and access to healthcare services became more difficult. To address these issues and support the recovery of public health, the organisation has launched its first major healthcare initiative, focusing on strengthening Georgia's health and child protection systems. Family doctors and social workers, were trained on key health topics such as immunisation, Hepatitis, HIV prevention, HPV, TB, and STDs.

This report presents the voices of 69 children—33 girls and 36 boys—aged 14 to 17 from 10 countries, sharing their experiences and perspectives on migration. Through consultations, they discussed key themes, including the drivers of migration, its impact on children, identity documentation, challenges in civil registration, and recommendations for strengthening civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems. The participating countries were Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Disasters pose a substantial and growing threat to children and youth's well-being, and climate change is a rising threat to the environment and livelihood, including the survival and well-being of future generations. However, children and youth continue to be on the frontlines in combating climate change and building resilience in their communities. There have been consultative and robust research on child-centred risk reduction and school safety developed globally and in Asia-Pacific. Drawing from the findings, we highlight young people’s voices and perspectives in urging governments, DRR partners, and practitioners to undertake the following actions in line with the underlying goals of the 10th APMCDRR.

Key findings indicate that 68% of the households have graduated from extreme poverty to sustainable livelihoods. Through improved food security, financial stability, and stronger disaster resilience, families are building brighter futures. Discover how the Ultra Poor Graduation (UPG) project, is a 39-month initiative funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) transformative project is changing lives in Baidoa, Somalia.