Before the Storm: A review of how gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) is integrated into Anticipatory Action across Asia

Over the last decade, anticipatory action (AA) has gained interest and momentum across Asia. Anchored in risk-informed disaster management, AA enables the implementation of life-saving actions before a disaster, reducing potential impacts and averting humanitarian crises.

Governments across Asia and the Pacific have incorporated elements of anticipatory approaches into disaster risk management (DRM) policies and planning processes at national and local levels, to varying degrees. However, despite govern­ment interest in AA, especially through National Disas­ter Management Authorities (NDMAs), it continues to be largely financed and implemented by international actors.

Extensive research on disasters and disaster response has shown that existing vulnerabilities experienced by women, girls, people living with disabilities, minorities, and other marginalized groups tend to be exacerbated during disasters. Gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) must thus be incorporated into AA policies, strategies, and programmes. The most effec­tive way to do this is to ensure that GEDSI is mainstrea­med into both the design and implementation phases of AA.

This review and the supporting recommendations were commissioned by the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific to support the Asia-Pacific Tech­nical Working Group on Anticipatory Action (TWG-AA) and the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group. The study aims to examine how GEDSI has been integrated into AA in the region, drawing from case stu­dies from Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Viet Nam to provide concrete insights into how GEDSI and AA can be actionably integrated.