Anticipatory action closes the gap between “we knew” and “we acted”

At the 13th Global Dialogue Platform, Jagan Chapagain said that anticipatory action closes the gap between “we knew” and “we acted”.

Anticipatory action in focus at the 13th Global Dialogue Platform

The 13th Global Dialogue Platform concluded in colourful way: presenting prizes to the winners of the inaugural anticipatary action photo competion.

Putting gender equality at the heart of anticipatory action

In Asia-Pacific, women have the knowledge, skills and leadership needed for anticipatory action – yet they often remain invisible. This blog looks at how to address this.

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society acts ahead of a drought

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has activated its EAP for drought and, over the next few weeks, it will support 35,000 people in at-risk areas through anticipatory actions.

Building the evidence for anticipatory action

Drawing on the evidence presented in two recent major reviews, our latest blog assesses the current evidence base for anticipatory action – and identifies where knowledge gaps remain.

More Related Content: Blogs

Blog September 11, 2024

Social Protection

From reactive to proactive: anticipatory action for drought through social protection systems in the Philippines

Anticipatory action can reduce the impacts of slow-onset disasters on rural farming communities. One example is the successful implementation of a pilot scheme to act ahead of the El Niño-induced …

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Blog June 14, 2024

GIS & Mapping

Simulating anticipatory actions as part of disaster management: MapEx 2024

The 18th edition of MapEx was recently held in the UK. For the first time, the imagined scenario – a cyclone in Madagascar – included major anticipatory action components.

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Blog June 03, 2024

Advocacy, Scaling up

How anticipatory action links to the Grand Bargain

A session at Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week explored how the Grand Bargain could support efforts to scale up anticipatory action. In this blog, Hannes Serocki and Matthias Amling …

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Blog May 29, 2024

Cash & Voucher, Early Action, Lessons Learnt

Une première activation complète d’action anticipatoire au Burundi

Les précipitations extrêmes et les inondations sont des risques dévastateurs au Burundi. En octobre 2023, des précipitations extrêmes ont été prévues pour le pays, ce qui a conduit à la première …

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Blog May 16, 2024

Early Action, Lessons Learnt

The first official anticipatory action activation in Burundi

Extreme rainfall events and flooding are devastating hazards in Burundi. In October 2023, extreme rainfall was forecast for the country, leading to the the first anticipatory action activation. This …

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Blog April 18, 2024

Early Action, Early Warning System, Impact-based Forecasting

AWARE: a digitally enabled governance platform for effective anticipatory action ahead of climate shocks

As the climate crisis worsens, at-risk countries need anticipatory action to cope with the devastating impacts. ClimBeR’s AWARE platform is helping countries including Senegal and Zambia to protect …

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Blog April 15, 2024

Early Warning System, Emerging Topics, Trigger Development

Citizens as hazard forecasters: how citizen science can strengthen anticipatory action

There is a small but growing number of examples of citizen science playing an active role in anticipatory action and early warnings. Can - and should - it play a greater role in the data used for …

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Blog April 08, 2024

Cash & Voucher, Social Protection

Linking Nepal’s social protection programmes with anticipatory action

Nepal has a diverse portfolio of social protection programmes and humanitarian organizations are finding creative ways to use these for anticipatory action and disaster-response activities.

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Video: The Anticipation Hub at a glance

Through the online platform you can access a library of learning resources, global map of anticipatory action initiatives, an early action database, working groups and much more to support your work on anticipatory action as a practitioner, scientist or policymaker. 

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Therefore, scaling up is not just “more”, it also means “better”.
To respond collectively in a coordinated manner, we must work together.

Jagan Chapagain Secretary General, IFRC

What is global is local somewhere and what is local is global somewhere else. For this reason, it is very important for us to actually come together and co-design, co-produce and co-implement, so we can learn from each other and also cross-fertilize ideas and solutions.

Dr. Halima Saado Abdillahi Head of Research and Learning, International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs (ICHA) and Kenya Red Cross

Better anticipation allows us to stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly volatile climate, connecting scientific information to practical action on the ground.

Professor Maarten van Aalst Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

Anticipatory action has tremendous potential to increase the efficiency of life-saving interventions and protect the most vulnerable. This is especially true for women and girls who often face some of the most severe risks. Through well-targeted anticipatory approaches, we can better empower women and girls to face crises on their own terms.

Lisa Carty Director, Humanitarian Financing & Resource Mobilization Division, OCHA

Anticipatory actions are the bright spots in a bleak humanitarian outlook. If we manage to move more in that direction, we will get a response that is faster, cheaper, and more dignified. One that protects hard-won development gains.

Mark Lowcock Emergency Relief Coordinator

The Anticipation Hub in numbers

The Anticipation Hub aims to share knowledge and experiences to jointly enhance and scale up anticipatory action globally.

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165 Number of partners
34 Bi-monthly newsletters
73 Number of countries on our global map

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Emerging topics

In expanding the use of anticipatory action to address more risks, be applicable in more contexts and strengthen overall disaster risk financing approaches, experts and practitioners are engaging in multi-disciplinary collaboration to enable anticipatory action to be applied where and when it is needed using adapted tools, innovative solutions and new ways of working.

More about emerging topics

Please note that our website content is being continuously updated as we receive information from our partners.