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Kuala Lumpur / Geneva, 7 May 2026 — As humanitarian needs grow faster than available resources, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is strengthening disaster preparedness across Asia Pacific to ensure earlier action, faster response, and better use of humanitarian funding.Between July 2025 and April 2026, the “Becoming Disaster Ready” Asia Pacific National Society Preparedness and Readiness Programme accelerated the shift from reactive crisis response to a preparedness-led, regionally coordinated readiness system. The programme aligns with the Asia Pacific National Society Preparedness (NSP) Strategic Plan 2025–2028 and supports National Societies to anticipate risks, mobilise faster, and respond at scale when disasters strike.“Every Swiss franc invested in preparedness is a choice to save more lives with fewer resources,” said Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific. “By strengthening systems, coordination and readiness before disasters strike, National Societies are able to respond faster, avoid costly delays, and scale up effectively when needs are highest. In an era of growing risks and constrained humanitarian funding, preparedness is one of the most responsible and impactful investments we can make.”Stronger systems, lower response costsA central achievement of the programme has been the establishment of a regional management and coordination structure for preparedness, bringing IFRC and Partner National Societies together through an Asia Pacific NSP Core Working Group. The structure improves alignment of technical support, reduces duplication, and lays the foundation for a future Asia Pacific Preparedness Hub to enable peer-to-peer exchange and adaptation of preparedness tools across contexts.In 2025, IFRC also completed a regionwide capacity mapping of preparedness and response assets—including Emergency Operations Centres, National Disaster Response Teams, surge capacity and Emergency Response Units. Combined with a donor support mapping, this provides a clear evidence base for directing investments where they deliver the greatest preparedness return, helping ensure funding is used strategically and efficiently.Readiness that delivers faster resultsOperational readiness has been strengthened through the Surge Ready tool, developed in Asia Pacific and now adopted globally. The tool provides a common framework to assess and improve emergency readiness across National Societies, Emergency Response Units and IFRC delegations, in line with minimum quality and safeguarding standards approved in 2025. Better surge readiness translates into faster deployment, improved coordination, and reduced delays during emergencies.The region has also advanced Emergency Response Unit readiness, with several National Societies strengthening certification and peer‑to‑peer cooperation, contributing to both regional and global surge capacity. In Southeast Asia, discussions to establish a regional WASH Emergency Response Unit would further increase collective readiness and reduce reliance on ad‑hoc arrangements during major crises.Preparedness beyond response assetsInvestments under the programme extend beyond hardware and teams. National Societies have strengthened preparedness across health and pandemic readiness, WASH, anticipatory action, cash and voucher assistance preparedness, disaster law and auxiliary role, logistics, protection, gender and inclusion, and community engagement and accountability - all critical enablers of effective, accountable response.Capacity data shows that while most National Societies are operationally ready to respond, preparedness remains uneven in areas such as contingency planning, early action and enabling systems. Addressing these gaps before disasters strike reduces operational risk and helps avoid higher response costs later.Tracking impact and guiding future investmentProgramme impact is measured through annual capacity mapping and PER cycle progress, consolidated in a regional dashboard that tracks year‑on‑year maturity gains and remaining gaps. This enables IFRC and partners to demonstrate results, prioritise investment and maximise preparedness outcomes.By strengthening readiness before crises occur, IFRC’s Asia Pacific preparedness investments are delivering greater humanitarian impact per franc invested, helping National Societies respond faster, better coordinated and at scale in an increasingly complex risk environment.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] In Kuala Lumpur: Afrhill Rances, +60 19 271 3641 In Geneva: Scott Craig, +41 76 370 3575About IFRC IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network, comprising 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies working to save lives and promote dignity around the world. ifrc.org | X (Formerly Twitter) | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Threads | LinkedIn
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