Key messages:

• Humanitarian agencies have been making the case for taking action before crises hit, but it is long-term actors (such as governments and service providers) who have responsibility for most anticipatory actions.
• ‘Anticipatory action’ is usually used to refer to an assistance project with dedicated funding, but other actions are needed to protect livelihoods ahead of a crisis. These include providing information so people can take informed decisions about their own anticipatory actions; investing in preparedness; and redirecting resources away from previously planned interventions towards actions in the same sector that can mitigate a predicted crisis.
• To achieve the potential benefits, a system-wide change is needed in how anticipatory action is thought about and used, moving from a focus on delivering relief earlier to a nexus approach with shared responsibility between government departments, development partners and humanitarian agencies.
• Each action needs to be more than just relevant and effective – it needs to be timely. Understanding windows of opportunity is as critical to the success of anticipatory action as determining the kinds of activities that can help reduce human suffering.
• More attention needs to be paid to understanding the accuracy of weather and crisis forecasts, as the ability to invest resources in advance of a crisis ultimately rests on confidence in these forecasts.

Annunci