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Hyderabad: CESVI, in partnership with Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and the Fast Rural Development Program (FRDP), has officially launched BRAND 2.0 (Building Institutional Capacity and Resilience Against Natural Disasters), a major disaster risk reduction initiative funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
The project aims to strengthen Pakistan’s institutional capacity to anticipate and respond to climate-related disasters by shifting the focus from reactive emergency relief to proactive, government-led disaster preparedness and anticipatory action.
BRAND 2.0 is expected to benefit more than 1.1 million people across six districts of Sindh, where communities remain highly vulnerable to recurrent floods, droughts, and extreme heat events.
The initiative will support the development of advanced disaster risk management systems through granular risk modelling, improved integration of Integrated Decision Support Systems (IDSS) and Disaster Management Information Systems (DMIS), and stronger coordination among key government institutions. It also seeks to enhance shock-responsive social protection by working closely with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and the Sindh Social Protection Authority (SSPA), enabling vulnerable households to receive timely assistance before disasters escalate.
A key feature of the project is the introduction of crisis modifier cash transfers, designed to provide rapid financial support to at-risk communities ahead of anticipated climate shocks. This anticipatory financing approach is intended to reduce humanitarian impacts, protect livelihoods, and improve community resilience.
The launch brought together several national and provincial stakeholders, including the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh, BISP, SSPA, and district-level District Disaster Management Units (DDMUs). Their collaboration reflects a shared commitment to establishing a sustainable and institutionalized disaster risk financing model in Pakistan.
With climate-related disasters becoming increasingly frequent and severe, initiatives such as BRAND 2.0 represent an important step towards strengthening Pakistan’s disaster preparedness systems, improving institutional coordination, and protecting vulnerable communities before emergencies occur.
