Advances in weather forecasting and climate science now enable us to act before hazards strike rather than investing primarily in humanitarian response after disasters happen. These anticipatory approaches enable more people to receive needed assistance ahead of predictable shocks.
Anticipatory action saves lives and limits the impacts of disasters and is a hallmark of the Climate Centre mission. Specifically, our work on anticipatory action builds on a long-standing element in the Climate Centre’s work: assisting the mainstreaming of the early warning early action into Red Cross Red Crescent disaster management worldwide.
Our team is comprised of meteorologists, social scientists, hydrologists, and humanitarian experts, and our expertise notably lies in anticipatory action including forecast-based financing (FbF), a concept developed by the Climate Centre and German Red Cross in the early 2000s.
Based on forecast information and risk analysis, FbF ensures the timely release of humanitarian funding for agreed activities in preparation for a hazard.
We support the advancement of anticipatory action and FbF in many ways. We are centrally involved in the development of forecast-based financing programmes worldwide and provide ongoing technical support to National Societies and their partners working on these concepts.
In addition to the development of such mechanisms, we also spearhead advocacy efforts, capacity building and research and innovation on all aspects of anticipatory action.
