Parallel Session D 13.30
Nusrat Nasab
Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Pakistan
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) has been a leader in disaster resilience and recovery efforts in Pakistan, exemplified by its response to the catastrophic 2022 floods that impacted 33 million people and damaged over a million homes. AKAH implemented a comprehensive safe housing strategy to support recovery and strengthen future resilience across the mountainous and coastal regions of Pakistan.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, AKAH introduced prefabricated homes as a quick-to-deploy, disaster-resilient solution, prioritising safety, sustainability, and adaptability to local conditions. Additionally, the Badswath Relocation Project in the Immit Valley became a test-case programme, resettling over 100 households, including climate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and families at high geological risk, into safer locations. By integrating disaster-resilient construction techniques and fostering community engagement, the project ensured long-term security, better living conditions, and alignment with sustainable development and risk reduction goals.
AKAH’s safe housing approach, rooted in sustainability and community empowerment, focuses on constructing disaster-resilient, environmentally sustainable, and culturally sensitive homes. Using hazard and risk assessments, AKAH identified safer reconstruction zones, reducing exposure to future hazards like floods and landslides. Incorporating local materials and traditional methods with modern engineering created structures resilient to extreme weather while preserving cultural aesthetics.
In collaboration with communities, AKAH provided training and resources to build climate-smart homes, promoting innovative designs like elevated foundations to mitigate flood risks and energy-efficient features for improved insulation and ventilation. Women’s participation in planning and decision-making ensured inclusivity and addressed diverse household needs.
Through its holistic, community-driven approach, AKAH not only supported post-disaster recovery but also laid the groundwork for safer, more resilient communities, setting a benchmark for sustainable housing in disaster-prone regions.
About the presenter
Nusrat Nasab has been working in the field of Development and Disaster Risk Reduction for over two decades. Currently she is the Chief Executive Officer at the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat Pakistan. Prior to this role, she was on an international assignment and serving as Head of Emergency Management at the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH). Prior to this assignment, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of Focus Humanitarian Assistance, Pakistan and worked on senior management positions within other institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). She also serves voluntarily as Director on various boards of governance on reputed institutes. Her academic background is with a master’s degree from University of East Anglia, Norwich UK in Development Economics and another degree in Economics from Pakistan. She has authored and co-authored several papers including the chapter on “Disaster Risk Reduction and Building Resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalaya” in the book “The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment” published in early 2019 by Springer.