Sri Lanka held its first national-level sensitisation workshop on Anticipatory Action (AA) in Colombo. This was hosted by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) in collaboration with the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Anticipation Hub.
SLRCS Director General Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara said, “This AA workshop was an important and timely event for Sri Lanka. This enriched the country’s capacity to act swiftly to protect the communities at risk, saving lives, properties, and livelihoods. Studies have established the significant benefits of taking action prior to a hazardous event and mitigating the impact of a predictable crisis.”
AA focal point of SLRCS, Ganga Kariyawasam
SLRCS Director General Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara
“Every USD invested in anticipatory action can generate a significant return of up to USD 7 due to losses avoided and added benefits. This allows us to save more money spent on recovery and rehabilitation programs, which eventually will benefit Sri Lanka, a country that is battling for economic stability”, Gunasekara said.
This workshop was the first step in creating a roadmap for implementing AA in Sri Lanka as a collaborative effort with stakeholders. Representatives from the Government, the United Nations, international and local non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, the private sector, donors, research institutions, academic institutions and universities were among the more than 50 participants from 30 stakeholder organisations.
There were also Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners present, such as the IFRC and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
AA focal point of SLRCS, Ganga Kariyawasam said, “The workshop resulted in an increased understanding of the anticipatory action approach by Government counterparts, stakeholders and partners. A technical working group for AA in Sri Lanka will be established as the immediate output, followed by a roadmap to ensure collective action over the next three years.”
“The common hazards in Sri Lanka are natural disasters that occur due to extreme weather events as a result of climate change. We will consider floods, landslides, and droughts when implementing anticipatory action. The dengue epidemic is also an area of focus that we could work on”, Kariyawasam added.
The workshop featured a panel discussion that built dialogue with the audience and resulted in a productive conversation. Panellists included IFRC’s regional anticipatory action coordinator for Asia-Pacific Raymond Zingg, disaster risk reduction specialist at World Vision Winson Gnanatheepan, acting director of the Human Settlements Planning and Training Division of the National Building Research Organisation Chinthaka Rathnasiri and Deputy Director (emergency operations) of the Disaster Management Centre T.W.K. Indika Pushpakumara.
The workshop produced many insights and a new vision for the country’s disaster management specialists—one that incorporates anticipatory action.
Raymond Zingg and IFRC’s regional disaster law coordinator for Asia-Pacific Finau Leveni, led the workshop. The event was moderated by expert in international disaster risk reduction Susil Perera.
