Diaspora in anticipatory action

Diaspora in anticipatory action

Diaspora are often among the first to know a crisis is coming and to act. Through close ties to their homelands, they share information, mobilise support and reach communities that others cannot. Anticipatory action (AA) means taking early, forecast-informed action, allowing organizations to prevent or reduce the severity of emergencies driven by predictable hazards, rather than merely reacting to them once they occur. acting ahead of a crisis, based on early warning, forecasts and risk analysis, to reduce its impact of crisis before it peaks. Diaspora already do much of this, but largely outside established AA systems.

Local early warning systems

Before displacement occurs, local and diaspora networks are often the first to spot signs that a conflict, drought, famine or other crisis is coming. Failing rains, shifting prices, rising tension between groups, relatives asking for support to plan their move: these signs are read through local knowledge and long experience of past crises. Diaspora members hear of them through family, clan, faith-based and online networks, and disseminate warnings and practical advice back to communities and through their networks within minutes or hours.

These local and diaspora forms of knowledge, trusted diaspora and community structures and communication make up an early warning system that complements established anticipatory action (AA) systems. Where established systems rely on forecasts and data, local and diaspora networks add contextualized insight into how a crisis is unfolding for people on the ground, often earlier and in places that data or established actors does not reach.

How diaspora act ahead of crises

When a crisis is building, diaspora are often already acting, well before international assistance arrives. Trusted by communities, they can move fast and reach areas that are hard for international actors to access. Their support spans:

Early warning: sharing alerts and practical advice with communities and responders.

Protection information: providing safe and reliable information on risks, routes and where to find help.

Peacebuilding: leveraging and drawing on their trusted networks with elders, religious leaders and communities to help prevent tensions from escalating and support, and carve out spaces for local dialogue and broader mediation efforts.

Fundraising: mobilizing funds quickly through crowdfunding, community collections and diaspora networks, often within hours or days of an alert, so support can reach families before a crisis peaks.

Unlocking diaspora's potential in AA

Yet diaspora face structural barriers that limit their access to AA frameworks, forecasting tools and flexible funding. As a result, much diaspora support is reactive, arriving once a crisis has hit rather than ahead of it. This disconnect can lead to delays, duplication, or gaps in the response.

Limited access: diaspora and smaller local organizations are often outside the networks and frameworks where AA is planned.

Resource and capacity gaps: few have access to forecasting tools or the means to monitor risks in a structured way.

Limited flexible funding: funding for acting ahead of a crisis is scarce and hard to secure.

As a result, much diaspora support is reactive, arriving once a crisis has hit rather than ahead of it. With stronger knowledge of AA, better links to AA plans and improved capacity to secure funding for early action, diaspora organizations and their local partners can make better use of their joint strengths: mobilizing quickly, advocating internationally and supporting communities in ways that strengthen both AA and the wider humanitarian response.

Anticipatory Humanitarian Action for Displacement (AHEAD)

The inclusion of diaspora and local actors in AA is a central objective of Anticipatory Humanitarian Action for Displacement (AHEAD), a global project led by the Danish Refugee Council that aims to strengthen humanitarian response by improving the ability to act before displacement occurs.

As part of AHEAD, we work with diaspora organizations and their local partners to:

Support their work in anticipatory action through targeted capacity strengthening, from understanding early warning to planning and mobilizing funding and support for early action.

Build community-based early warning that draws on local and diaspora networks contextualized knowledge and existing community structures.

Link this early warning to established AA systems, so signals from communities inform when and how to act.

Co-design anticipatory action plans with diaspora and local organizations, and build the partnerships needed for them to act quickly when a crisis is approaching.