Anticipatory action: Lessons for the future

This article shares lessons from OCHA-facilitated pilots, focusing on three components: triggers, programming and financing. The authors report that triggers must be sufficiently reliable to warrant action and the disbursement of funds. Forecasts are not available for all countries or hazards, and existing forecasts may not provide desired resolution or skill (accuracy) levels, especially at longer lead times. The timing of action therefore must balance forecast skill against operational needs. Funding is best when it is flexible and includes finance for framework design, evaluation and continued improvements. Finally, the authors discuss the challenges and opportunities in scaling up anticipatory action.

This article was published in Frontiers in Climate.