DHAKA, 12 September 2021, (TON): The UK has led a push for the international community to take more action ahead of disasters.

UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly has announced a package of new UK support including $2.1 million for "Start Funds" in Bangladesh and Nepal to help national and international NGOs anticipate and react to disasters.

Meanwhile, $1.5 million will go to the Start Network for civil society projects in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, and the Philippines to help develop disaster risk finance systems in these countries.

The UK has led a push for the international community to take more action ahead of disasters rather than responding reactively to them and commits $3.6 million in aid to minimize the humanitarian impact of disasters.

At an event jointly hosted by the UK, Germany, and UN OCHA, UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly warned that conflict and climate change are driving unprecedented levels of humanitarian need.

He called on donors and aid agencies to “do humanitarian aid differently” and use technology and forecasting to pre-empt disasters such as flooding, drought, or disease outbreak, and reduce their impact on the most vulnerable.

The UK is a recognized leader in anticipatory action, which involves identifying hazards, pre-agreeing action plans and funding, and triggering a response when a “risk threshold” is crossed.