This session will first provide a brief overview of the current state of evidence on the effectiveness of anticipatory action (AA) Then it will delve into the 2023/24 El Niño AAs undertaken across Southern Africa, East Africa, Asia, and Latin and Central America to illustrate key findings on achievements and challenges encountered by these activations. Through the presentation of robust evidence, the session aims at demonstrating the effectiveness of anticipatory action in mitigating impact of shocks, reducing humanitarian needs and in protecting the food security and livelihoods of vulnerable farmers, herders, and fishers. The session will also spotlight successful collaboration between governments, national and international organizations in scaling up anticipatory action to address El Niño-induced hazards, and highlight how coordination and partnerships remain critical for effective anticipatory action. FAO and WFP will showcase the results of the impact evaluations and Return on Investments (RoIs) undertaken following the 2023/24 El Niño activations and will discuss the lessons learned that have emerged from these interventions, as well as the challenges in collecting the evidence. Participants will be actively engaged in the discussion to identify key gaps in the evidence base and critical areas of improvement to design more effective and efficient anticipatory actions in the future. Objectives of the session 1. Provide concrete evidence and examples of how anticipatory actions ahead of the 2023/24 El Niño induced events helped mitigate impact of droughts and floods for at-risk communities, particularly those dependent on farming, herding, and fishing. 2. Highlight the critical role of coordination and partnership between implementing organizations and with national governments for effective delivery of anticipatory action at scale ahead of forecasted hazards. 3. Identify key gaps in evidence base and lessons from the El Niño activations to inform and enhance strategies for
more effective and efficient anticipatory action in future climate-related shocks. Actionable Recommendations - Identification of key gaps in the evidence base for anticipatory actions - Identification of selected areas of improvement for more effective anticipatory actions - Promote coordination through collective anticipatory action and joint evidence generation. | 
