IGAD and Action Against Hunger reach out to 244,000 people in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, against crises

Action Against Hunger and the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre have launched a joint project aiming at protecting 243,801 people in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti from the compounding effects of climate-induced and conflict-driven humanitarian crises

The dubbed ‘Institutionalizing Interoperable Multi-Hazard Anticipatory Action (IMPAACT),’ is a two-year initiative co-funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

The initiative is implemented through coordinated, science-based anticipatory action.

The Greater Horn of Africa remains one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions, where recurrent drought, floods, conflict, and displacement intersect to generate predictable humanitarian crises.

Despite the advances in early warning systems, the gap between available risk data and coordinated, timely action continues to cost lives and livelihoods.

Institutionalizing Interoperable Multi-Hazard Anticipatory Action (IMPAACT) directly addresses this gap by scaling nationally led anticipatory action systems, from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regional level down to sub-national, cross-border, and urban community levels, across the three countries.

Implemented through a joint consortium model under Action Against Hunger leadership, with ICPAC as regional institutional partner, the project will deliver four integrated results: strengthen the regional anticipatory action framework; build preparedness capacities in conflict-affected cross-border areas of Ethiopia and Somalia; enhance urban preparedness in Djibouti; and operationalize a rapid-onset crisis modifier mechanism capable of delivering first assistance within 48 hours of trigger confirmation.

“This project represents a fundamental shift in how we confront humanitarian crises in the region—moving from reactive response to proactive protection. By bridging the gap between early warning data and swift, coordinated action, this initiative will allow us to reach the region’s most vulnerable people before disaster strikes.” Rotimy Djossaya, Action Against Hunger Chief Impact Officer.

He further states that “True resilience isn’t just about surviving the next crisis; it’s about building the institutional systems that prevent it from becoming a catastrophe in the first place.”

At the regional level, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) will anchor the project’s anticipatory action framework, validating cross-border trigger matrices, ensuring policy coherence across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti, and linking the initiative to established coordination platforms including the IGAD Regional Technical Working Group on Anticipatory Action (RTWGAA) and Scaling Coordinated, multi-hazard and conflict-sensitive Anticipatory Action for Improved disaster preparedness and humanitarian response (SCALAA).

The project builds on and complements these existing systems rather than creating parallel mechanisms, reinforcing the institutional architecture that underpins long-term food security and resilience across the Greater Horn.

“As climate extremes and humanitarian crises become more frequent and severe, investing in disaster preparedness through anticipatory action is no longer optional—it is essential. This ECHO-funded IMPAACT partnership comes at a critical moment to accelerate anticipatory action across the region, placing governments in the driver’s seat to lead, own, and sustain solutions that protect lives, livelihoods, and development gains,” says Dr Abdi Fidar, ICPAC’s Director.

The European Union’s support reflects its continued commitment to building the evidence base and institutionalizing AA systems needed to shift humanitarian response toward prevention and preparedness in one of the world’s most complex crisis environments.

The IMPAACT project targets pastoralists, displaced persons, and vulnerable urban communities, directly reaching 86,261 people in Ethiopia, 105,332 in Somalia, and 52,208 in Djibouti over its two-year duration.

Protection, inclusion, conflict sensitivity, and environmental sustainability are integrated throughout all project activities. The project will conclude in May 2028.

Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger through innovative solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs.

About ICPAC

The Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) is a specialized institution of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and a Regional Climate Centre mandated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide and support the delivery of climate services and early warning information to 11 countries (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi) in the Greater Horn of Africa.