Islamabad, The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan, in collaboration with several international organizations, hosted the First National Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Actions, marking a significant step in the country’s approach to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
According to United Nations Pakistan, the event in Islamabad brought together over 100 participants, including representatives from the humanitarian sector, international financial institutions, hydrometeorologists, climate scientists, government officials, academics, community leaders, and decision-makers. The platform focused on sharing experiences and best practices in developing anticipatory action initiatives. These discussions aimed to strengthen and scale up anticipatory actions and forecast-based financing, crucial for reducing the impact of predictable disasters in Pakistan.
The dialogue sought to foster a shared understanding of anticipatory action among stakeholders, facilitating knowledge exchange and identifying the roles of international financial institutions in disaster risk funding and pre-arranged financing. The event emphasized the importance of practical recommendations for implementing anticipatory actions in Pakistan and explored opportunities for collaboration in this area.
Anticipatory action, as discussed, is a proactive approach involving informed actions based on credible forecasts or collective risk analysis to mitigate potential hazard impacts. It includes concepts like Forecast-based Financing, Early Warning Early Action, and Anticipatory Humanitarian Action. The dialogue stressed the need for harmonizing these terms to ensure a unified approach to anticipatory action in humanitarian efforts.
Break-out sessions at the event focused on identifying pathways for developing a country roadmap on anticipatory actions. These sessions addressed multi-hazard forecasting, triggers, early warning systems, AA planning and financing with an emphasis on gender equality, disability inclusion, and social considerations, as well as knowledge generation and partnership fostering for anticipatory actions.
The final session of the conference concentrated on outlining priorities for Pakistan in relation to anticipatory action, with participants formulating concrete recommendations to support testing, implementation, evidence collection, and documentation of AA activities for broader dissemination.
The platform provided a significant networking and collaboration opportunity, aiming to transition Pakistan from reactive responses to proactive disaster preparedness and risk reduction strategies. This initiative underscores Pakistan’s commitment to addressing challenges posed by natural disasters through proactive, anticipatory measures.