Forecast-based Financing in Pakistan

The goal of the project is to contribute to the reduction of vulnerabilities and adverse impacts of sudden on-set disasters, and protracted crises in the natural disaster-prone regions by developing Early Action Protocols for different hazards.  Currently, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society has developed a simplified early action protocol for riverine floods along the Kabul River basin in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and approximately 37,315 people will be targeted through prioritized early actions i.e. dissemination of early warning messages and disbursement of multipurpose cash. The simplified early action protocol is connected to the Anticipatory Pillar of the DREF (Disaster Relief Emergency Fund) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for pre-agreed funding.

Anticipation in practice: project description

Pakistan is characterized by diverse topography, ecosystem, and climate zones. The country is prone to various climate induced hazards such as floods, heatwaves, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), tropical cyclones, drought, extreme cold and heat, as well as earthquakes. The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 ranked Pakistan 8th in terms of countries most affected (from 2000 to 2019-annual averages) by extreme weather conditions, and climate risk continues to increase. This is due to its geophysical conditions, extreme climatic variations, and high degrees of exposure of the population to climatic shocks.

The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) together with the German Red Cross have been working on Forecast-based Financing (FbF) in the country to reduce the impact of disasters and crises, particularly in vulnerable communities. The Forecast-based Financing (FbF) project in Pakistan aims to enhance the capacities of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) to reduce humanitarian impacts caused by extreme hydrometeorological disasters on the population in high-risk areas. The project is contributing to the broader Preparedness for Effective Response (PER) at national level and capacity building of PRCS Headquarter and branches to be able to implement anticipatory actions in high-risk areas to support the communities to prepare and protect themselves and their livelihoods before an extreme event.

The project practises the approach of developing early action protocols in consultation with relevant national and international stakeholders, strengthening the capacities and facilitating the processes for anticipatory action planning as well as working with national and regional stakeholders to ensure that anticipatory actions are integrated into their plans.

Pakistan Red Cresent Society with the support of German Red Cross has developed a riverine flood simplified early action protocol (SEAP) for the Kabul River basin in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The aim of the SEAP is to minimise the impact of riverine flooding along the Kabul River basin by providing timely early warning, accompanied with multipurpose cash to save lives, prevent loss of livestock and belongings and reduce the risks prior to the occurrence of flood events.

Facts and figures

• People covered by the actions: 37,315 People (14,820 People – CVA)
• Districts/area covered: Kabul River basin (District Charsadda, Nowshera & Peshawar), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province
• Number of activations: Not yet

Photo © Zeeshan Anwar, PRCS KP Branch