FAO and Partners Launch Workshop to Combat Climate Crisis in Southern Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa – As climate extremes and disasters increasingly threaten communities in Southern Africa, a coalition of international organizations is stepping up to address these challenges. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the World Food Programme (WFP), will convene a technical workshop on April 14-15, 2025, to formulate a Regional Guidance Note linking Social Protection with Anticipatory Action.

The two-day workshop aims to gather technical experts from FAO, ECHO, IFRC, WFP, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, regional institutions, and academia. Through collaborative discussions, participants will create practical tools to enhance disaster preparedness and promote long-term resilience across the region.

“Acting before a crisis fully unfolds allows us to save lives, protect livelihoods, and reduce the cost of emergency response,” said Lewis Hove, FAO Resilience Team Leader for Southern Africa. “Integrating anticipatory frameworks into national social protection systems improves the efficiency and accuracy of identifying and supporting vulnerable populations, while reducing duplication and reliance on ad-hoc humanitarian interventions.”

This initiative addresses the urgent need for effective responses to increasingly frequent climate-related disasters in Southern Africa. By focusing on anticipatory action, the workshop aims to strengthen the capacity of local governments and humanitarian partners to enhance community preparedness, speed up responses, and foster sustainable recovery.

<pHove believes this workshop represents a significant step towards ensuring that Southern African countries are better equipped to handle climate shocks. “The outcomes will lay the foundation for a more secure and resilient Southern Africa,” he added.

As communities across the region continue to grapple with the realities of climate impacts, the workshop seeks to provide actionable insights and frameworks that can be implemented immediately. Stakeholders are hopeful that this collaboration will lead to more proactive measures in safeguarding livelihoods and ensuring sustainable development in Southern Africa.