Julia Wittig, with the Humanitarian Financing Strategy and Analysis Section of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), helps us better understand , which is acting ahead of predicted hazards to prevent or reduce acute humanitarian impacts before they fully unfold:
There are several preconceptions around anticipatory action. What are those?
The most common preconception is that anticipatory action is for distant future events.
In reality, anticipatory action involves providing funding for places where acute vulnerabilities already exist, and a humanitarian response will start soon anyway.
So, what anticipatory action does, is to pull that humanitarian response forward to get ahead of the impact of the predictable shock.
A close second is the belief that anticipatory action ties up money that could be used for immediate response.
Anticipatory action simply ensures that we have firm pre-commitments, and we make funds available quickly at a time when we still have a chance to mitigate the impacts of imminent shocks, based on specific forecasts of where and when emergencies are likely to occur.
Something I also hear often is that triggers and thresholds for anticipatory action are too rigid. In fact, we work hard with our partners to make sure we capture the right events, and we continue to review and improve.
At what stage do you integrate anticipatory action into the Humanitarian Programme Cycle?
At every stage! It＊s important to remember that planning for future shocks is already in the DNA of humanitarian response.
Humanitarians regularly undertake proactive operational response planning and delivery to foreseen events 每 be it prepositioning humanitarian supplies along displacement routes ahead of displacement in Yemen, or fundraising and mobilizing proactive assistance in Syria, Ukraine or Afghanistan before communities get cut off by snow in winter.
Anticipatory action is just one tool among many, especially in complex emergencies where natural hazards are prevalent.
The real power of anticipatory action lies in its ability to integrate seamlessly with emergency preparedness, contingency planning, and rapid response efforts.
This is why our ambition is a future where proactive humanitarian response is the default approach, where possible.
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