Note on Hybrid Format: Although this session is listed as hybrid, all presentations and breakout discussions will take place online. However, there will be in-person moderation at the venue to facilitate engagement. Participants attending in person will have two options for the breakout session: they can either join a breakout room collectively as a group from the venue or connect individually via their laptops, depending on their preference.

What this session is about ?

People have long been protecting themselves, their communities, and their livelihoods from impending shocks, such as through sharing early warning information with neighboring communities, evacuations ahead of floods, stocking up before a storm, or de-stocking livestock before a drought. The scale-up of Anticipatory Action that the sector is currently advocating for, must therefore involve those that it seeks to serve. Ultimately, this is about local actors who are first responders at the frontlines of disasters and who should be driving the scale-up of Anticipatory Action.

Despite the potential to prioritize the dignity of communities and the increasing focus on locally-led Anticipatory Action, its scale-up has been limited. Currently, international actors seem to continue to spearhead efforts to develop Anticipatory Action and its mechanisms. Where local actors are included, their roles have mostly been as implementing partners rather than leaders of developing plans and frameworks. At the same time, the number of documented experiences and good practices of locally-led Anticipatory Action are increasing.

This session will provide a local perspective to what Anticipatory Action could look like in practice. Through combining the experiences of various local and national NGOs that have partnered with INGOs on Anticipatory Action, the session aims to showcase how a scale-up of Anticipatory Action can align with localization commitments, and can be shaped in a sustainable way.

This session will present experiences from:

• FCTZ together with Welthungerhilfe will share insights on the P-FIM (People-First Impact Method) used in Zimbabwe
  as a tool for identifying hazards and anticipatory actions and co-designing Anticipatory Action Plans.
• Jago Nari together with Oxfam in Bangladesh will share their experience on local leadership in Anticipatory Action through showcasing the role of communities and District Management Committees in the design of Anticipatory Action Plans and the implementation of activities.
• Save the Children will share the application of the child-centred locally-led Anticipatory Action guide and training.
• World Vision Syria and local representatives will share their experiences in developing an Anticipatory Action Plan for recurrent droughts and floods in a fragile context with limited services and governance structures.

How the session will be organized ?

1. Opening Remarks:Brief Introduction from co-hosts and the importance of locally-led and people centered Anticipatory Action.
2. Case Presentations:Each local partner organization together with their international partners will share their tool, approaches and lesson learned.
3. Interactive Group Discussions: Breakout groups organized on- and offline to discuss challenges, opportunities, and strategies for implementing localized anticipatory actions.
4. Plenary:Reflection in plenary for both online and offline participants with Mentimeter

What participants will gain from this session?

• Enhanced understanding of locally-led approaches to Anticipatory Action, particularly those that engage community leaders
  and stakeholders in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities.
• Strengthen practical knowledge and tools that can be applied in different local contexts to improve the effectiveness and
  sustainability of Anticipatory Action. Reinforce a network of practitioners, researchers, and local actors committed to strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus and advancing Anticipatory Action globally.

Who should join the session?

• Humanitarian practitioners and policymakers working interested in best practices and lessons learned from ongoing and
  finalized Anticipatory Action projects following a locally led approach.
• Representatives from local organizations, community leaders, and NGOs interested in strengthening their capacity for
  locally led Anticipatory Action mechanisms through practical examples.
• Academics and researchers working on Anticipatory Action, climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness and interested
  in the feasibility, scalability and barriers to locally led Anticipatory Action mechanisms