A new agency, the Aga Khan Agency for the Habitat (AKAH), works to ensure that people live in physical settings that are as safe as possible from the effects of natural disasters, that residents who do live in such high risk areas are able to cope with disasters in terms of preparedness and response, and that these settings provide access to social and financial services that lead to greater opportunities and a better quality of life. The new agency merges the activities of the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, with its prize-winning water and sanitation programmes and low-cost habitat products, such as smoke-free stoves; the humanitarian arm of AKDN, FOCUS, which promotes disaster mitigation and resiliency and intervenes after disasters; the AKDN’s Disaster Risk Management Initiative, which focuses on disaster preparedness in remote areas; and the environment- and habitat-related activities of the Aga Khan Foundation, including the Prince Sadruddin Fund for the Environment and the Foundation’s highly regarded rural support programmes.