Disasters continue to wreak havoc in various parts of the world, especially in the poor anddeveloping countries. In response, Citizenry-Based Development Organizations (CBDOs) developinnovative approaches to cope with recurring disasters. In South Asia, CBDOs have tremendousexperience on community resilience and knowledge to mitigate adverse impacts of naturaldisasters. They are together with Non Government Organizations (NGOs) at the forefront inpromoting Disaster Risk Reduction through advocacy and concrete actions on the ground. However, there is a very limited space for these CBDOs to discuss, share and learn from each otherand the academic fraternity in the region. Their lateral links are of great value but often underresourced. Regional and international conferences and meetings are gatherings of mostlyinternational, regional and national figures. Unfortunately, these are not the ideal venues for CBDOs to share and learn. The œSouth-South Citizenry- Based Development Academy? is conceptualizedto initiate this local, lateral, direct dialogue of sharing and learning between those who matter themost in reducing risk and making development safer.