A unified approach: national- and provincial-level training on anticipatory action in Pakistan
In a significant step towards making its systems for disaster risk management more proactive, Pakistan recently organized its first-ever national training course on anticipatory action. Held in August 2024 in Islamabad, the course helped to build the country’s capacity to anticipate hazards and mitigate the impacts before they occur.
The course brought together over 40 participants from government departments, UN organizations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Having this sectoral diversity helped to build a shared understanding of the concepts and building blocks of anticipatory action, and will foster greater collaboration among the major stakeholders seeking to strengthen anticipatory action across the country.
A shared approach to national and provincial training
Following the success of the national training course, two provincial-level training courses were held to strengthen capacities across the country. The first course, in Karachi, Sindh Province, gathered 40 participants from provincial government departments, NGOs and academic institutions; the second, in Lahore, Punjab Province, had 28 attendees, including individuals from local government departments.
Combined, these courses helped to enhance the knowledge and skills needed to implement anticipatory action at the national and local levels. All three courses were led by experienced trainers, who adapted the learning modules from the Asia Pacific Technical Working Group on Anticipatory Action to ensure that the content was practical and relevant to the Pakistani context.
“[This is] a harmonized training package and collaborative approach to capacity building for relevant stakeholders and organizations in the field of anticipatory action.”
“The training in anticipatory action is a crucial step toward empowering local partners and provincial disaster-management authorities with the tools and knowledge needed… WHH remains committed to fostering resilience by embedding anticipatory approaches at both [the] provincial and district levels in Pakistan.”
A growing commitment to anticipatory action
These training courses underscore Pakistan's growing commitment to anticipatory action as an essential tool for making disaster risk management more proactive. By building the capacity of both national and provincial stakeholders, the country is making significant progress towards being better prepared for the future challenges posed by climate change. Increasing Pakistan’s capacity to implement anticipatory action will help to mitigate the impacts of hazards by saving lives, reducing suffering and economic losses, and promoting long-term resilience.
The courses also helped to meet the need for capacity strengthening that was highlighted during the 1st National Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Action, held in December 2023. And this commitment to building expertise will continue with the development of a minimum training package for Pakistan, which will be led by the National Coordination Forum on Anticipatory Action and rolled out across the country.
Expanding the scale of Pakistan’s anticipatory action training programme will provide an opportunity for the organizations involved to collaborate further in the future. It also showcases how Pakistan is positioning itself as a leader in anticipatory action and committing to building its capacity in this approach.
“This training was highly informative and knowledge-driven, equipping us with the tools to mitigate and reduce losses from climate-induced disasters. We are committed to implementing this approach at the provincial level, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is particularly vulnerable to both climate-related and man-made disasters.”
“As we move forward in our journey to strengthen disaster preparedness, we recognize the importance of harmonizing our efforts. To this end, we are excited to announce an upcoming ‘training of trainers’ programme for government officials and humanitarian partners, which will empower a new batch of trainers to cascade anticipatory action training across the country. Let's prepare for unexpected, together.”
“The National Disaster Management Authority, as the leading agency responsible for planning, coordinating, monitoring and overseeing all aspects of the disaster-risk-management spectrum, is deeply committed to ensuring anticipatory action in pre-disaster scenarios to minimize losses. This training is designed to enhance understanding of anticipatory action and strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to ensure proactive measures are taken before a disaster strikes – ensuring that the impact is minimized and no one is left behind.”
“It is time to incorporate anticipatory action into disaster management plans at all levels, and allocate dedicated funding for its implementation. By doing so, we can significantly reduce the impacts of climate-induced disasters, as well as the costs associated with response and recovery. The national training… helped us to get a common understanding of anticipatory action.”
“Organizing national and provincial trainings on anticipatory action is vital to equipping government officers and humanitarian partners with the skills needed to integrate anticipatory action into planning and implementation across all levels effectively.”
Watch video highlights from the first national training in anticipatory action in Pakistan.
Play Video
Images from the provincial training events
The national training course was led by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Pakistan’s National Institute of Disaster Management, World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and German Red Cross. Together, these organizations aim to position anticipatory action as a key strategy for disaster risk management, one that minimizes the impacts of hazards before they strike.
The training in Karachi was led by Welthungerhilfe (WHH), WFP, FAO, the German Red Cross and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. The training in Lahore was organized by WHH, the German Red Cross and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society.
This article was written by Muhammad Atif Khan, project manager for forecast-based financing at the German Red Cross. Photos by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and the German Red Cross.