Acting before disasters strike: Malawi embraces a new approach for tackling climate-related hazards
Not all innovations are based on new technologies. Sometimes, they have to do with procedures or practices — that is, how people work together. That’s largely the case with a new method of responding to climate shocks and other humanitarian emergencies.
Climate change is driving more extreme and frequent natural hazards, and that means that humanitarian need will only increase.
Malawi, a low-income country in Southern Africa, is among those hit the hardest by adverse effects of extreme weather conditions. The country is susceptible to droughts, dry spells, and flooding. It is also indirectly hit by cyclones that make landfall in Northern Mozambique.
In recent years, the country has faced successive climatic shocks. In 2016-17, El Niño dry spells left a third of the country’s 18 million people in dire need of food assistance. Then, in 2019, Cyclone Idai caused an estimated US$220 million in loss and damages.
Fortunately, today, it is possible to predict with increasing confidence the occurrence and extent of humanitarian impacts of certain climate- and weather-related shocks. And that means the impacts can be mitigated.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and partners have developed a framework for “Anticipatory Action,” and are now piloting the framework in 11 different countries, representing different kinds of climate shocks or public health emergencies.
Here’s how it works.
In a traditional humanitarian response, a disaster or shock happens, and then agencies come in to assess the needs, plan the response, mobilize and allocate funds, and implement interventions.
In contrast, an Anticipatory Action framework starts in advance. In this way of working, before a shock happens, the UN and partners prepare a forecasting and decision-making framework, establish action plans, and pre-arrange financing.
The result: the UN is able to respond more promptly and more effectively to climate shocks, and that translates into more lives and livelihoods saved.
Malawi is one of the original group of pilot countries, and is the testing ground for responding to dry spells and droughts. In developing the Anticipatory Action Framework for the country, the UN in Malawi has been working closely with the OCHA and the Centre for Humanitarian Data.
The piloting of the framework in Malawi will focus on three districts that are most affected by dry spells — Balaka, Chikwawa and Nsanje — targeting more than 185,000 families during the 2021/2022 season. Some of its interventions are on protection, water, sanitation, hygiene, food and nutrition security, and livelihoods.
Using Anticipatory Action tools and learning will also help Malawi and other countries look across humanitarian and development spheres to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change by acting before disasters strike.
The framework also enhances cooperation within the UN team, as FAO, IOM, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP will pool their capacities and work jointly under the leadership of Malawi Government’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), thanks to the facilitation of the UN Resident Coordinator and the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Malawi.
Anticipatory Action is being integrated in Malawi’s ambitious Climate Action Framework adopted at the National Green Climate Conference in August 2021.
The worse that climate change gets, the more shocks that Malawi and other countries will have to deal with. Innovations such as Anticipatory Action allow countries to become more secure in the face of a drastically changing climate.
Story written by UN in Malawi. For more information on the United Nations' work in Malawi please visit, Malawi.UN.org. To learn more about the results of our work in this area and beyond, please read the UNSDG Chair Report on DCO.
