The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) recently hosted the nation’s first national-level sensitization workshop on Anticipatory Action (AA) collaborating with the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

An SLRCS release said that the Anticipation Hub, the workshop aimed to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools necessary to respond proactively to impending crises, held in Colombo, attracted more than 50 participants from 30 stakeholder organizations, including government representatives, United Nations officials, international and local non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, private sector entities, donors, research institutions, academic institutions, and universities. Partners from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, including the IFRC and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Director General of SLRCS, Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara said that the AA Workshop was an important and timely event for Sri Lanka.

A panel discussion during the workshop facilitated a productive dialogue with the audience. The panel featured experts in disaster management, including Raymond Zingg, the IFRC’s regional anticipatory action coordinator for Asia-Pacific; Winson Gnanatheepan, a disaster risk reduction specialist at World Vision; Chinthaka Rathnasiri, the acting director of the Human Settlements Planning and Training Division of the National Building Research Organisation; and T.W.K. Indika Pushpakumara, the Deputy Director (emergency operations) of the Disaster Management Centre. Their insights and vision for incorporating anticipatory action into disaster management left a lasting impact.

Raymond Zingg and Finau Leveni, the IFRC’s regional disaster law coordinator for Asia-Pacific, played a pivotal role in leading the workshop, which was expertly moderated by Susil Perera, an international disaster risk reduction expert.