Before the storm: putting gender equality at the heart of anticipatory action

When early warnings of volcanic activity on Mount Merapi, Indonesia, are issued, the women of Glagaharjo village are often the first to act. Drawing on their training, practical skills and years of experience, including their in-depth knowledge of evacuation routes, they are on hand to mobilize their family members, and ensure that children, older persons, and persons living with disabilities are ready to evacuate. They also coordinate the dispersal of vital information through trusted community networks and help families to safeguard their livelihood assets.

This reflects a broader trend across Asia and the Pacific: women have the knowledge, skills and leadership needed for anticipatory action. Their contributions often mean that actions can be implemented in a faster, fairer and more inclusive way. Despite this, women remain invisible in many official plans and protocols throughout the region. Even in places where women are the first responders, they are the last to be consulted when developing the systems to predict and prepare for disasters.

A new regional study, Before the Storm: A Review of How Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Is Integrated Into Anticipatory Action Across Asia, identifies ways to address this gap. Published by the UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Technical Working Group on Anticipatory Action (TWGAA), it examines how gender-responsive approaches can make anticipatory action more effective, inclusive and sustainable.

Drawing on interviews with government agencies, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and UN partners, as well as women-led organizations in Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines and Viet Nam, it also highlights the persistent barriers that women face in developing and implementing systems and protocols for anticipatory action: from unequal access to information and finance, to restrictive gender norms that limit their mobility and their role in leadership and decision-making.

Acting before the storm

The regional study was launched during the 8th Asia-Pacific Dialogue Platform for Anticipatory Action, held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in November 2025. During this event, two gender-focused sessions showcased other new studies from across the humanitarian and development sectors that highlight community-led examples of how gender-inclusive and women-led anticipatory action is effective.

The sessions also brought together practitioners committed to advancing gender equality within anticipatory action systems, who discussed how to put the recommendations in these studies into practice. Insights from the participants reaffirmed that women, and the communities in which they live, should not simply be recipients of information; they must be co-creators of anticipatory action systems. This leads to clear benefits: for example, when communities shape early warnings, the messages become more inclusive and trusted, making them more effective in saving lives. The sessions also explored how linking anticipatory action with adaptive social protection ensures that support reaches those most at risk in a timely manner, helping to reduce unnecessary losses from disasters and strengthening people’s long-term resilience to future events.

As climate-related disasters intensify in the Asia-Pacific region, there is an urgent need to chart a more inclusive future for anticipatory action. This approach must be not only timely, but also fair and inclusive. Doing so, and embedding gender equality into the heart of all anticipatory action systems, will help to ensure that communities are better equipped to withstand hazards, and to recover more quickly to a position in which they are stronger and ready to thrive.