In this session, practitioners from CARE and Start Network based in Bangladesh, the Philippines, Senegal and the United Kingdom discussed the basics needed to ensure sustainable and inclusive anticipatory action (AA). Sumaiya Kabir from CARE Bangladesh kickstarted the discussion by providing examples of how AA can build the resilience of communities and reduce impacts of crises through engaging with vulnerable groups ahead of time. Lot Felizco from Oxfam Philippines added that with innovations in forecasting for predictable crises, there is no longer any need to wait for impacts to extend support. With innovations in forecasting, early actions such preemptive cash distribution have allowed them to respond in a more dignified and effective way.
As key to institutionalizing AA, the panelists discussed the importance of national policy frameworks that provide the basis and clarity for accessing government funds. These initiatives must go hand-in-hand with building the capacity of local governments and communities.
Amadou Diallo, Start Network’s DRF regional coordinator for Africa, discussed how sustaining AA requires substantial investment in research and capacity building, which is a challenge in countries where there is a scarcity of resources. There is still resistance to AA due to adherence to the more traditional approach of emergency response. A theme that emerged during the session is that there needs to be a system to capture the evidence and the learning to sustain AA. Without this, it is challenging to obtain governmental support.
In integrating inclusivity in AA, Susan Njambi-Szlapka from the Start Network shared their study on how disaster risk financing (DRF) has gendered aspects across the board—in risk analytics, contingency planning, governance, and more. DRF must meet the differential needs of different groups of people, but obtaining disaggregated data and qualitative knowledge is still a challenge in many contexts. The panelists emphasized the need for locally led action, because ultimately, it is actors on the ground who are working with vulnerable groups and understand their context best. The discussion ended with Amadou saying that at the end of the day, communities are the ones facing the risk and we need to keep them at the center of our work by involving them and ensuring that we are working for them under their direction.