Anticipatory Action Framework: Bangladesh Cyclones - 2023

Introduction

In January 2023, the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) granted a request by Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh to continue OCHA’s support in facilitating and financing coordinated anticipatory action in line with the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) strategy to increase the geographic reach and to expand to other hazards. This enabled the expansion of the anticipatory action framework for monsoon floods in Bangladesh earlier this year, as well as this new framework for cyclones.

Extensive anticipatory action experience has been built over the past few years in Bangladesh for a variety of hazards. Regarding monsoon river floods, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) pioneered the approach in 2015, developing trigger-thresholds and Early Action Protocol (EAP). A previous coordinated anticipatory action framework triggered in 2020 which yielded extensive learning and evaluations providing a basis for the improvement of the framework ever since.1 Furthermore, an Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group exists within the HCTT structure, complementing the government-led Taskforce on Forecastbased Financing/ Action (FbF/A). This framework is also a contribution to the United Nations SecretaryGeneral’s Early Warning for All initiative (EW4All).2