Quick and reliable funding: how FbA by the DREF supported a shift from reaction to anticipation in 2020

This briefing examines each of the four activations of Forecast-based Action by the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (FbA by the DREF) funding mechanism that took place in 2020 – two in Bangladesh, and one each in Ecuador and Mongolia – to highlight the many ways in which FbA by the DREF has contributed to the shift from reaction to anticipation in humanitarian action.

The main benefit of this mechanism is that once an EAP has been approved, National Societies know that they have secure financing to prepare early actions. Furthermore, when the trigger for a hazard is reached, they know that an amount will be automatically release to implement their actions. This automatic release of funding, paired with the rigorous and well-defined plans in the EAP, mean that all actors can implement anticipatory actions immediately, without having to worry about funding or negotiating who does that.