EU-backed PROAACT initiative launched in Kathmandu to strengthen climate resilience and stability in South Asia

Inception meeting and Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop. Promoting Anticipatory Actions to Address Climate and Environmental Risks for Community Transformation (PROAACT) on April 22-24, 2026, Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD.

Kathmandu, 24 April 2026 — A new European Union-funded regional initiative aimed at strengthening community resilience to climate and environmental risks while promoting peace and stability across South Asia was launched this week in Kathmandu.

The initiative, known as Promoting Anticipatory Actions to Address Climate and Environmental Risks for Community Transformation, or PROAACT, brings together government representatives, regional partners and civil society organizations from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. The launch marked the start of a coordinated regional effort to support locally led, anticipatory approaches to climate-related risks that affect livelihoods, social cohesion and environmental stability.

The launch event was followed by a Training of Trainers workshop held from 23 to 24 April, focusing on equipping local actors with participatory tools and methodologies to implement anticipatory action approaches that link climate resilience with peace and stability at the community level.

Speaking at the launch, Saroj Kumar Chaudhary, Deputy Director General at Nepal’s Department of Environment under the Ministry of Forest and Environment, said the accelerating climate crisis requires new ways of working. He described anticipatory action as an issue of justice and called on partners to make PROAACT a model for addressing an uncertain future through preparedness and solidarity.

Geertrui Louwagie, Deputy Head of Cooperation and Team Leader at the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal, said continued support for initiatives such as PROAACT is important in light of the values and principles guiding the EU’s Global Gateway strategy. She noted that the initiative brings together several strands that are critical for communities and societies facing climate and environmental risks.

The event also convened representatives from eight local civil society organizations selected through an open call for proposals. These organizations will implement activities in identified climate vulnerability hotspots across the three participating countries and are expected to play a central role in facilitating community-level action and locally driven solutions.

South Asia is facing increasing pressure from compounding climate variability, environmental degradation and socio-ecological stresses that affect ecosystems, livelihoods and social cohesion. PROAACT seeks to respond to these challenges by strengthening anticipatory capacity and fostering collaboration at local, national and regional levels.

The initiative will focus on priority areas identified through a scoping study. These include Sindhupalchowk, Dhading and Rolpa districts in Nepal; Satkhira, Nawabganj and Shariatpur in Bangladesh; and Astore and Swat in Pakistan.

PROAACT is part of the broader partnership between the European Union and the United Nations Environment Programme on Climate, Environment and Peace, established in 2017. The partnership aims to strengthen national and regional capacities to identify and address climate- and environment-related risks and to support effective risk reduction and response measures through integrated approaches.

The initiative will be implemented from 2025 to 2027, with a focus on testing innovative, participatory and peace-oriented locally led approaches. Lessons learned are expected to inform the scaling and replication of solutions within and across the three countries as additional resources are mobilised.

PROAACT is implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme in partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development as the regional implementing partner for South Asia, with financial support from the European Union. The initiative is carried out in coordination with EU delegations in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and in close cooperation with the governments of all three countries.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Neraz Tuladhar (Raz), Media Officer
Email: media@icimod.org