The purpose of this document is to present an overview of the anticipatory action frameworks facilitated by OCHA in the Sahel, including Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger. These pilots present innovations in the way that OCHA facilitates collective anticipatory action for drought. Notably, the trigger mechanisms and anticipatory action plans developed introduce new ways of working to get ahead of peak impact, taking advantage of the slow onset nature of the hazard.

These learnings stem from OCHA’s work on drought in the Horn of Africa, namely Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as other pilots.

OCHA’s approach to anticipatory action

Today, we can predict with increasing confidence the occurrence and humanitarian impact of certain climatic shocks. By combining different analytical approaches, out-of-the-ordinary climatic shock events can not only be predicted, but their projected impact can proactively be mitigated based on pre-identified anticipatory actions and financing. There is growing evidence that acting prior to the onset of predicable hazards is timely, (cost-)effective and protects development gains, OCHA has facilitated the setup of multiple anticipatory action frameworks. This work is backed up by up to $140 million from the CERF. Each framework comprises 4 core elements:

• A robust alert mechanism embedded in a clear decision-making process (the trigger).

• Pre-agreed action plans that can fundamentally alter the trajectory of the crisis (the delivery).

• Pre-arranged finance (the money).

• A clear learning, monitoring, and evaluation plan (the learning).

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs