Forecast-based Financing (FbF) in Lebanon: kicking off a new project to anticipate winter storms

The Lebanese Red Cross Society (LRC), with support from the German Red Cross (GRC), organized a three-day FbF kick-off workshop to launch the first anticipatory action project in Lebanon. After conducting an intensive feasibility study, winter storms were selected as the main hazard to be tackled in the 1st FbF project phase in Lebanon.

Together with other important stakeholders, LRC aims to assist highly vulnerable communities to prepare for and protect themselves from winter storms before they occur by implementing early (anticipatory) actions in high-risk areas, which can be located in the mountainous regions of Lebanon but also in the valleys and coastal areas, which are then affected by strong winds and rains.

The kick-off workshop was held from 5-7 May under the themes ‘Ready for the Storm” and “Anticipation over Reaction”. There were various objectives for the workshop: Firstly, it was important to familiarize all the participants with the FbF concept and FbF set-up in Lebanon and to identify the linkages and synergies with other projects and stakeholders. Also, this workshop was an opportunity to provide the participants with the necessary technical knowledge on trigger model development and risk assessment and impact-based forecasting - two sessions provided by the RCRC climate center met this purpose. A session on the funding mechanism for anticipatory action (FbA by DREF) was also virtually conducted by the IFRC, where the participants and LRC in particular received an overview about the funding mechanisms and opportunities in this project. In order to be well prepared for the next phase, sessions on the selection of early actions and the early action protocol (EAP) were given by GRC. Lastly, capacities and gaps were identified which can be addressed and build on in the project’s scope and recommendations were recorded to enhance the project with additional experiences and perspectives from participants, both internal and external to the LRC.

Karen Dall, anticipatory actions advisor from GRC, and Safaa Alhoussaiy, FbF project officer from LRC, were jointly facilitating the sessions.