ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $500 million in financing to help Pakistan strengthen its capacity to cope with natural disasters and climate-related risks.
The funding has been sanctioned under the bank’s Contingent Disaster Financing (CDF) programme, which aims to provide financial assistance to Pakistan in the aftermath of major natural calamities.
According to the ADB, the facility will ensure the availability of immediate budgetary support following a major disaster, helping the government minimise the economic and financial consequences of climate-induced emergencies.
ADB Country Director for Pakistan Emma Fan said vulnerable communities often bear the greatest burden when disasters strike, making investment in preparedness essential to protecting lives, livelihoods and economic progress.
She said the programme would also help Pakistan introduce key reforms aimed at building a more resilient future.
The initiative is in line with Pakistan’s disaster risk management priorities and the ADB’s broader commitment to strengthening climate resilience across Asia and the Pacific.
Separately, the ADB warned last month in its Asia-Pacific Climate Report 2026 that approximately 1.48 million people in Pakistan could be exposed to annual coastal flooding by 2100.
The report highlighted rising sea levels, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion as major threats to coastal populations, infrastructure and livelihoods.
It also cautioned that development in flood-prone regions, coupled with increasingly severe climate hazards, could substantially raise the country’s future economic and social costs.
