Rooted in Local Leadership, Powered by Global Solidarity: Strengthening Anticipatory Action across the IFRC Network

The document argues that while the IFRC has expanded anticipatory action, progress toward local leadership is hindered more by political factors and donor risk-aversion than by technical capacity. It identifies structural trade-offs between the need for global standardization and local autonomy, noting that funding and decision-making remain overly centralized. The briefing recommends a shift toward multi-year, flexible funding, the integration of Indigenous knowledge, and a reimagined operating model that places National Societies at the center of design and governance.

• Scaling anticipatory action across a global network creates a structural tension where the requirements for simplicity, standardization, and coordination necessarily limit local diversity and autonomy.
• The primary obstacles to locally led anticipatory action are political rather than technical, driven by donor priorities regarding accountability, efficiency, and scalability, which reflect institutional limits on risk tolerance.
• Despite decentralization in implementation, the systems for defining, validating, and funding anticipatory action remain under international control, with global approval processes often hindering local innovation.
• Financial autonomy is limited because donors are reluctant to devolve discretion; while funds like the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) exist, access and control remain centralized.
• A 'burden of proof' exists where donors demand evidence of success before scaling locally led actions, creating a dependency trap because such evidence requires the very devolved pilots and investment that donors are hesitant to provide.
• Operational effectiveness is limited by a hierarchy of knowledge that privileges formal, science-based forecasting models over experiential and Indigenous community knowledge.
• Internal hierarchies within the IFRC Network can mirror the top-down dynamics they aim to replace, with decision-making power and finance rarely reaching the municipal or community levels where implementation occurs.

APA

Harris, K., Williamson, K., & Klein, R. J. (2025). Rooted in Local Leadership, Powered by Global Solidarity: Strengthening Anticipatory Action across the IFRC Network. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/key-messages-anticipatory-action-ifrc.pdf

Chicago

Harris, Katy, Kate Williamson, and Richard J.T. Klein. Rooted in Local Leadership, Powered by Global Solidarity: Strengthening Anticipatory Action across the IFRC Network. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2025. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/key-messages-anticipatory-action-ifrc.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Harris |first1=Katy |last2=Williamson |first2=Kate |last3=Klein |first3=Richard J.T. |title=Rooted in Local Leadership, Powered by Global Solidarity: Strengthening Anticipatory Action across the IFRC Network |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=November 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/key-messages-anticipatory-action-ifrc.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{harris2025rooted, author = {Harris, Katy and Williamson, Kate and Klein, Richard J.T.}, title = {{Rooted in Local Leadership, Powered by Global Solidarity: Strengthening Anticipatory Action across the IFRC Network}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/key-messages-anticipatory-action-ifrc.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }