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EU External Action Funding Support for Asia-Pacific — Central Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific

EU External Action funding support for Central Asia, South-East Asia and Pacific Island projects. NDICI grants and EU Delegation tenders for Asia-Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific region — covering Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), South and South-East Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.) and Pacific Island States — receives substantial EU External Action funding through NDICI-Global Europe geographic allocations, Team Europe initiatives and bilateral EU Delegation calls. The EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy and Global Gateway for Asia create growing opportunities for organisations working in this region.

Regional facts

Primary Instrument
NDICI-Global Europe (Asia-Pacific sub-pillar)
Sub-regions
Central Asia, South Asia, South-East Asia, Pacific
Key Languages
English, French, local national languages
Managing Authority
EEAS/DG DEVCO + EU Delegations in country

EU funding context

The EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy (2021) and the NDICI Asia Pacific geographic pillar create a multi-billion euro funding pipeline for development, governance, climate, connectivity and sustainable development in Asia. The Pacific sub-region benefits from dedicated NDICI allocations and Global Gateway investments. Central Asia has seen increased EU engagement following the Russia-Ukraine war and EU interest in diversifying energy and trade routes.

Typical organisations

  • Development organisations with Asia-Pacific presence
  • Environmental and climate adaptation NGOs
  • Governance and rule of law consultancies
  • Education and vocational training providers
  • Private sector development organisations
  • Research institutes with Asia specialisation

Key sectors

  • Governance and Rule of Law
  • Climate and Environment
  • Education and Vocational Skills
  • Private Sector and Trade
  • Connectivity and Digital Infrastructure
  • Agriculture and Food Security

Common consortium needs

  • Local Asian or Pacific partners with in-country operational presence
  • Regional organisations with multi-country Asia-Pacific reach
  • Organisations with experience in politically sensitive contexts (Myanmar, North Korea border areas)
  • Language capacity for local engagement (Vietnamese, Khmer, Uzbek, etc.)

Typical proposal challenges

  • Geographic distance making local partnership development challenging
  • Diverse regulatory environments across a very large number of countries
  • Limited EU Delegation call monitoring compared to Africa or the Balkans
  • Language barriers for community-level implementation

How INTERALTER supports Asia-Pacific projects

  1. Asia-Pacific Call Monitoring

    We monitor EU Delegation calls across Central Asia, South-East Asia and Pacific Island states, covering a much wider geographic scope than most clients can track alone.

  2. Asia Partner Search

    We identify and engage qualified local partners across the Asia-Pacific region through our network and database of pre-vetted organisations.

  3. Indo-Pacific Strategy Positioning

    We advise on how organisations can position themselves for EU Indo-Pacific Strategy funding, including Global Gateway Asia opportunities.

Common questions

Is there EU funding for humanitarian work in Afghanistan?
Yes. Afghanistan is one of the largest recipients of EU humanitarian assistance globally. ECHO funds humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, and there are NDICI early recovery and development calls for specific sectors and contexts.
What EU funding is available for Pacific Island States?
Pacific Island States receive dedicated NDICI-Global Europe allocations and are part of the ACP-EU Partnership. Climate adaptation is the dominant EU funding priority for Pacific islands given their acute vulnerability to sea level rise and extreme weather.

Related regions

  • eastern-neighbourhood
  • africa
  • latin-america-caribbean