As the temperatures were forecast to be below the trigger levels, a test simulation of anticipatory actions was conducted to support the rural communities expected to experience the most serious impacts from this extreme cold wave.

The first alert of a tropical storm forming in the Indian Ocean, and heading west towards Madagascar and Mozambique, was issued on 16 January 2022.

Anticipatory action relies on the ability to forecast potential disasters and to trigger predetermined actions to protect the most vulnerable communities from disaster impacts.

Experts in humanitarian finance suggest three possible avenues for significant change to improve efficiency: more pre-arranged finance; pooling for outcomes; and financing functions rather than end-to-end mandates.

People living in the same area affected by a disaster will experience it differently depending on their individual vulnerabilities and capacities. These vulnerabilities, and intersecting vulnerabilities, are often invisible in data, policy and practice.

Welthungerhilfe started its first Forecast-based Action (FbA) intervention in the face of an imminent drought in the North of Madagascar.

If a humanitarian crisis could be prevented or mitigated by acting ahead of the shock causing it, what signals would be needed to understand when anticipatory action should be taken?

This is an excerpt from “Dealing with a crisis within a crisis: Anticipatory Action in the age of Covid-19”, a session on 8 December 2020 at the Global Dialogue presentation by Dr. Dirk-Jan Omtzigt, UNOCHA.

This report describes the activities that should be prioritized from recent Humanitarian Response Plans in order to save the livelihoods and lives of 1.5 million rural people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia who are facing another La Niña‑induced drought.

Welthungerhilfe Pakistan Country Director Aisha Jamshed tells PreventionWeb about the Start Network’s anticipatory action in Pakistan, and the importance of community involvement, forecasting, and coordination with donors.