The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) called for faster, earlier climate financing across Asia and the Pacific (APAC), warning that delayed funding is driving up disaster losses and leaving vulnerable communities exposed.
APAC accounts for 75% of global disaster impact, with damages running into billions of pesos and affecting millions of lives and livelihoods. Despite this, funding typically arrives only after disasters strike, when recovery costs are already high.
“Before relief trucks are dispatched, before emergency funds are mobilized, and before disaster footage fills the headlines, there is a critical window to act, to invest, to prepare, and to protect.”
AIM said that window remains underused across the region, even as climate risks intensify.
To address the gap, AIM gathered policymakers, finance leaders, private sector players, and local government officials at the Asian Conference on Climate Change and Disaster Resilience (ACCCDR) 2026 held on April 30. The event focused on directing climate funds to frontline communities before disasters hit, not after.
With the theme “From Risk to Readiness: Investing in Climate Futures in Asia,” the conference framed climate resilience not just as a humanitarian concern, but as an economic, governance, and national security priority.
A recurring issue raised during the conference was the “first-mile to last-mile disconnect,” the failure of global climate funds to reach local governments and communities quickly enough to reduce disaster risks.
Speakers said slow funding not only increases damage but also raises recovery costs and deepens inequality in high-risk areas such as coastlines, flood plains, and typhoon corridors.
Sessions covered anticipatory climate financing, risk-layered investment strategies, climate insurance, and ways to improve fund delivery to local levels.
Among the speakers were Kathryn Milliken of the Asian Development Bank, Radu Tatucu of the World Bank, and Robert E.A. Borje of the Climate Change Commission.
Participants from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Department of Finance, and WWF Philippines also stressed the need to align global funding with local needs.
“The era in which post-disaster funding serves as the primary response model is no longer viable.”
AIM said the region must shift to anticipatory systems supported by data, coordination across agencies, and flexible financing tools that can release funds quickly.
The conference reinforced AIM’s role in shaping regional discussions on climate finance, bringing together government, global lenders, and private sector leaders to push for faster, more effective protection against growing climate threats.