OneSouthAsia, Climate Resilience, Disaster Risk Management

Events

Resilient Together: Managing Disaster and Climate Risks in South Asia

October 31, 2022

Online

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About the 13th OneSouthAsia Conversation: The 13^th OneSouthAsia Conversation focused on collective action and collaboration needed across countries in South Asia to adapt and build resilience to climate-related disasters and challenges. The event was held in partnership with the World Bank's Regional Integration and Engagement Program in South Asia, (ICIMOD) and . The conversation brought together a panel of experts from government, academia, civil society, and regional organizations to explore collaborative efforts required to build a climate-resilient South Asia.The event does not require any registration.

Background and context: South Asia is among the most vulnerable regions to climate risks, and remains highly prone to cyclones, extreme monsoon rainfall variability, floods, food and water insecurity, and extreme heat from rising temperatures. More than half of all South Asians or people were affected by one or more climate-related disasters in the last two decades.

A recent example is the devasting floods in Pakistan that impacted over 32 million people and caused damages estimated at around Floods and inundation of varying intensity was recorded across other countries including and This followed soon after a deadly in South Asia, where the highest temperatures were recorded of the region.

The changing climate could sharply diminish living conditions for up to people in a region that already has some of the world��s poorest and most vulnerable populations from climate change in the GDP per capita for South Asian countries are higher than the global average of about seven percent, with Bhutan facing a potential loss of 18%, Nepal 13%, India 10 %, and Pakistan 10 % in 2100.

The extreme weather events do not stop at borders or national boundaries. Given their devastating economic, social and development impact, there is a need for aggressive action at the country and regional level to better adapt and enhance resilience. This conversation will explore such solutions and collaborations across borders to build a resilient region.

PANELISTS
Minister of State, Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldives
Dr is the Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology for the Republic of Maldives. Earlier, he served as a senior policy advisor at the Ministry of Environment and Energy and also as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Mr Naseer also taught as a Senior Lecturer at the Maldives National University.
Founder, Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change, Pakistan
Society Coalition for Climate Change & Mountain and Glacier Protection Organization. She works at the community and policy level to strengthen climate action by supporting inclusive and participatory practices. She currently serves as the convener of the Working Group on Climate Security at the Strategic Policy Planning Cell, National Security Division. She is also part of the External Advisory Council of the World Bank on developing the South Asia Region Climate Change Action Plan (2020-2025)
DG, ICIMOD, Nepal
is the Director General for ICIMOD, a regional knowledge-centre based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is an agricultural scientist with experience in both the political arena �C he was Bhutan��s first democratically elected Minister of Agriculture and Forest from 2013 to 2018- as well as the development sector, having worked with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and ICIMOD earlier
Director, ICCCAD, Bangladesh
is the Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Bangladesh and is an expert on the links between climate change and sustainable development, particularly from the perspective of developing countries. He was the lead author of the chapter on Adaptation and Sustainable Development in the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
South Asia Director, The Third Pole
Joydeep Gupta is the South Asia Director of The Third Pole. He writes, commissions and edits articles on climate change, water, biodiversity, pollution, and sustainable development. He also trains environmental journalists. He has reported earlier for Indo-Asian News Service, The Statesman, The Sunday Observer and Sunday Mail. Joydeep has a Master��s degree in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management from the University of York (UK), and has edited books on biodiversity loss and conservation, and on environmental studies.
MODERATOR
Cecile Fruman
Director, Regional Integration and Engagement, South Asia
Cecile Fruman is the Director, Regional Integration and Engagement in the South Asia Region (SAR). She is responsible for fostering collaborative activities amongst SAR countries and managing partnerships and engagements with SAR and global development partners.

Previously, Cecile was Senior Manager for Financial Intermediary Funds (FIFs) and Partner Relations in the Development Finance Vice-Presidency (DFi) where she oversaw a portfolio of FIFs that disbursed in the order of $6 billion a year in grants for key global development priorities to multiple implementation agencies and coordinated the World Bank��s strategic engagement with development partners.