How specialized service providers can help enable the next generation of anticipatory action

Anticipatory Action (AA) has emerged as a key strategy for delivering humanitarian action ahead of predictable crises. Forecasts are used to trigger early support to communities such as evacuation, cash transfers or livelihood strengthening to mitigate or reduce the impact of oncoming crises. These are complex initiatives which require mastery of forecasts, response planning and rapid deployment of resources under short lead-times and in difficult contexts. The initial five humanitarian pioneers of AA (IFRC, FAO, WFP, OCHA, and Start Network), managed this complexity by focusing their programmes on a narrow range of hazards like drought and floods, and keeping most of the moving parts under their control. Now, having demonstrated the viability of AA initiatives, there is appetite within the broader humanitarian and donor communities to grow the impact of AA with new strategic d signs and broader applications of the approach.

This report explores the role that specialized service providers can play in supporting this next generation of AA programmes, by providing key contributions that expand the capabilities available to AA actors, particularly in the scope and diversity of data and information solutions.