Acting ahead: Can anticipatory humanitarian action reduce climate security risks?
When: Tuesday 06 October 2026 | 11:30 - 12:30
Format: Breakout session
Hosted by: Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, the German Red Cross (GRC), and the International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Anticipatory humanitarian action aims to get ahead of disaster impacts, by triggering proactive assistance before an anticipated hazard (e.g., a flood) strikes, to protect lives, assets and livelihoods. In 2025, more than 40% of all such activations were in fragile or conflict-affected settings, most notably in Somalia, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the most recent annual report by the Anticipation Hub. In these contexts, anticipatory action is an important tool to mitigate the impact of foreseeable climate hazards and other shocks on conflict-affected populations, with the potential to limit further humanitarian crises, safeguard development gains, and avoid harmful coping strategies among local communities.
As humanitarians are increasingly scaling up anticipatory action approaches in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, this session invites participants to explore how these approaches can be complementary to the activities of other actors, including climate security initiatives and local peacebuilding, to jointly reduce climate security risks and to improve coordination across sectors and mandates. Examples from the anticipatory action portfolio of the International Rescue Committee and the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement will provide initial impulses for the discussion, alongside reflections from UN-Women on the collaboration with humanitarian organizations.
Speakers:
- Anneleen Vos, Policy Officer, International Rescue Committee
- Liesa Sauerhammer, Manager - Disaster Risk Reduction in Fragile Contexts, German Red Cross
- Japhet William Graham Eichel, Gender, Climate, Peace and Security Specialist, UN Women
Moderated by Dr Juliane Schillinger, Technical Adviser Climate and Conflict, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
Return to the BCSC 2026 Agenda.