As the quality of climate risk information and reliability of scientific forecasts improve, the imperative to act in advance of an imminent shock to protect people and their livelihoods becomes more pressing.

Recognizing this momentum, governments and development and humanitarian partners seek to build a better understanding of how social protection systems can integrate anticipatory action approaches to deliver assistance ahead of forecasted shocks.

This paper discusses the conceptual and practical linkages between social protection and anticipatory action and presents the challenges, opportunities and operational entry points to link them, including through the analysis of case studies from Dominica, Guatemala, Nepal, and the Philippines.