Southern Africa steps up preparedness: regional workshop to link Social Protection with Anticipatory Action

Johannesburg, South Africa – As climate extremes and disasters increasingly threaten communities in Southern Africa, the need for proactive solutions has never been more urgent. In response, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the World Food Programme (WFP), will convene a technical workshop on 14–15 April 2025 to develop a Regional Guidance Note linking Social Protection with Anticipatory Action.

The two-day workshop will bring together technical experts from FAO, ECHO, IFRC, WFP, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, regional institutions, and academia. Through collaborative discussions, participants will develop an actionable guidance note aimed at enhancing disaster preparedness and long-term resilience across the region.

Focusing on Southern Africa, the initiative seeks to provide governments, development and humanitarian partners, as well as other relevant actors, with practical tools to build resilience and promote sustainable recovery.

“Acting before a crisis fully unfolds allows us to save lives, protect livelihoods, and reduce the cost of emergency response. Integrating anticipatory frameworks into national social protection systems improves the efficiency and accuracy of identifying and supporting vulnerable populations, while reducing duplication and reliance on ad-hoc humanitarian interventions ,” said Lewis Hove, FAO Resilience Team Leader, Southern Africa. “This workshop is a crucial step towards strengthening the capacity of Southern African countries to ensure that communities are better prepared, respond faster, and recover stronger.”

As climate-related disasters increase in frequency and intensity, integrating anticipatory action into social protection systems is becoming essential for reducing disaster risks. The outcomes of the workshop will lay the foundation for a more secure, prepared, and resilient Southern Africa.