Resilient Asia Program

The Indo-Gangetic Plain–Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF) region, spanning Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, endures some of the most polluted air in the world. Air pollution travels long distances in South Asia and gets trapped in large “airsheds” that are shaped by climatology and geography, lowering air quality throughout the region. With RAP support, the World Bank is working to measure, analyze, and assist South Asia in developing and implementing a Regional Air Quality Management Program in the IGP-HF countries. This involves support for a broader airshed management approach, regional convening and coordination, and the facilitation of global knowledge and technical assistance, in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)—a CARA partner.

In December 2022, ICIMOD and the World Bank collaborated on a Science Policy Dialogue, held in Kathmandu and convened government representatives from 24 institutions in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. This led to the Kathmandu Roadmap, a cornerstone agreement which identifies air pollution as a critical development challenge hinging on regional coordination. 

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to hydrometeorological and climate shocks. The transboundary nature of weather patterns calls for a regional perspective and cooperation in strengthening hydromet services and disaster resilience in the region. With RAP support, the South Asia Hydromet Forum (SAHF)—established in 2018—sustains regional engagement to promote collaboration and enhance capacity at the regional and sub-regional levels towards improving hydromet, and early warning and climate services in South Asia. Since 2018, three SAHF meets have convened hydromet professionals from the region, leading to the formation of the SAHF Executive Council in 2019 and a weekly Forecasters Forum (with over 80 weekly meetings held as of September 2023).

Rivers are the oldest means of transport in the massive Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta, where a dense lattice of waterways once carried over 70  percent of the goods and passengers within the region. Today, however, less than 2 percent of goods are transported by water.

Bangladesh and India—the two countries that share the delta—are working to restore these long-defunct water channels. In addition, landlocked Nepal and Bhutan are also starting to harness the potential of the waterways to gain easier access to Bangladesh and India, as well as to ports on the Bay of Bengal. RAP is supporting an active water resources management dialogue between Assam, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, complementing two ongoing World Bank investment projects, and the formulation for a regional transboundary water management project.

The Sundarbans region is the largest and one of the richest mangrove ecosystems in the world,  but it is under threat from climate change and human-induced pressures. RAP is supporting the governments of India and Bangladesh to prioritize packages of investments that will enhance the natural capital and strengthen the resilience of communities dependent on the Sundarbans through bluer, greener, and inclusive growth. The program helps to build resilience by improving the capacity of communities to adapt to changing conditions and respond to shocks, along with increasing livelihood opportunities and improving the management of natural capital.

Cooling has emerged as a developmental challenge in South Asia due to increased heat stress that is threatening the economy and jeopardizing health and livelihoods of millions. RAP is supporting  activities in South Asian countries to i) facilitate and inform policy decisions for the governments of South Asian countries as they seek to deliver sustainable cooling as a resilience strategy, ii) provide research support to relevant sectoral ministries on potential outcomes of National Cooling Action Plan implementation strategies, and iii) provide a platform for South Asian countries to approach the common challenge of heat-stress through sharing best practices and experiences.