Anticipatory Action

Anticipatory action is increasingly recognized as an effective tool for addressing crises before they escalate. By taking early, forecast-informed action, organizations can prevent or reduce the severity of emergencies driven by predictable hazards, rather than merely reacting to them once they occur. This shift from reactive to proactive enables more dignified approaches and efficient use of resources, saving lives and livelihoods.

Despite the many benefits of anticipatory action, including its ability to reduce psychosocial stress, food insecurity and asset loss among at-risk communities, its full potential remains untapped in displacement settings. Only one anticipatory action framework addressing displacement was active in 2023.

Current models are not yet sufficiently adapted to be scaled up in conflict-affected and fragile settings and there is an absence of strong evidence to make them broadly credible in these contexts. This has kept anticipatory action from informing global policy processes and addressing displacement at scale. DRC is working to change that.