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Red Cross Red Crescent Movement commits to scale up anticipatory action
Today, as part of the 2022 Council of the Delegates, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement adopted a resolution (“Strengthening anticipatory action in the Movement: Our way forward”) in which it commits to scale up anticipatory action. The resolution will allow the Movement to better assist people in vulnerable situations while at the same time maintaining and building on its role as a champion in this area.
The resolution calls on the RCRC Movement to increase its engagement on anticipatory action so that more people, country contexts and hazards are covered by the approach. It aims to increase the capacities of the Movement to act ahead of extreme events by calling its components to work on integrating anticipatory action into operational and legal frameworks and processes; increasing the availability of and access to financing so that it reaches those who need it when they need it; strengthening knowledge exchange, learning, guidance and advocacy around anticipatory action; improving existing approaches, by addressing compounding risks including in conflict-affected areas, encouraging risk mitigation measures, to ensure that people’s needs and priorities are better addressed; and opportunities to anticipate and act ahead of other climate and weather-related hazards and risks, such as epidemics, food insecurity and displacement. The components are called to mobilize the necessary resources and partnerships to bring anticipatory action to scale.
The adoption of the resolution marks another milestone to improve reach, quality and effectiveness of anticipatory action approaches in the RCRC Movement. Building on decades of experience in disaster preparedness, the RCRC Movement belongs to the pioneers of anticipatory action by developing Forecast-based Financing (FbF), an anticipatory action approach, and the Forecast-based Action by the Disaster Response Emergency Fund, a dedicated financing instrument for National Societies to implement actions ahead of an imminent extreme event. As of June 2022, FbF is being implemented by NSs in 38 countries, addressing hazards such as heatwaves, coldwaves, storms, floods, droughts and volcanic ash flows. Only recently, the IFRC developed an Operational Framework to help the network to mainstream anticipatory action across its work.
Kara Siahaan, Head of the Anticipation Hub, a joint initiative of the German Red Cross, the IFRC and the RCRC Climate Centre appreciates the resolution:
The resolution will help to unleash the potential of anticipatory action and create further momentum to shift from reaction to anticipation in the Movement. I am delighted to hear National Societies´ colleagues calling for the Anticipation Hub to support learning, exchange and advocacy in their statements. We will continue do our very best to strengthen the Movement’s capacities and expertise in this area so that more people can be reached and lives and livelihood being saved.
The resolution was adopted as part of the 2022 Council of Delegates and initiated by the German Red Cross, the IFRC, the ICRC and the RCRC Climate Centre. The Council of Delegates gathers together all the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the ICRC and the IFRC) to discuss matters concerning the Movement as a whole. It sets common strategies and ensures alignment within the Movement on approaches to global humanitarian issues and contributes to strengthening cooperation and fostering relationships among the members.