Nutrition Anticipatory Action Workshop in Yemen

Advancing locally led, data‑driven anticipatory action for better nutrition

Climate change is intensifying humanitarian needs across the globe. More frequent and severe droughts, floods, storms and other climate‑related shocks are disrupting ecosystems, displacing communities and driving food insecurity and malnutrition. By 2050, climate change could result in an additional 40 million children experiencing stunted growth and 28 million more suffering from wasting – a stark reminder of the urgency of action.

Anticipatory action offers a powerful and cost‑effective way to prevent predictable climate hazards from escalating into humanitarian crises. Yet nutrition remains insufficiently integrated into these systems due to gaps in early warning indicators, weak nutrition information systems, fragmented coordination, limited tools for nutrition‑focused anticipatory action, and the underrepresentation of local and national actors.

To help close these gaps, the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) Operations Team – together with the SMART Initiative and the Nutrition Clusters in South Sudan and Yemen – is implementing a small-scale project to strengthen locally led, data‑driven anticipatory action for improved nutrition outcomes. In Yemen, this work supports the Yemen Nutrition Cluster’s request to build the capacity of local and national actors, deepen understanding of anticipatory action, and chart a practical path for integrating nutrition into anticipatory systems. With anticipatory action now a strategic priority in Yemen’s humanitarian reset, the initiative aims to ensure that those closest to the crisis are equipped to lead timely, effective and nutrition‑sensitive responses.

About the Workshop

Organised by Action Against Hunger (ACF), the Global & Yemen Nutrition Cluster, and the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) – with support from OCHA, WFP, UNICEF and FAO – the workshop brought together around 80 participants from government institutions, NGOs, international partners, UN agencies and cluster teams. The sessions were delivered by Dr. Dahwa and Salah Alqutami, the GNC’s Anticipatory Action consultants, who facilitated the technical content and guided participants through the practical exercises.

The workshop placed a strong emphasis on local leadership, with active participation from leading Yemeni NGOs including: YFCA – Yemen Family Care Association, Human Access for Partnership and Development, BFD – Building Foundation for Development, FMF – Field Medical Foundation, SOUL for Development, GWQ – Generations Without Qat, ARD-Y – Assistance for Response and Development, SHS – Society for Humanitarian Solidarity, YemenAid, HYAC – Al-Hikma Al-Yamania Association for Charity, Yamaan Foundation for Health & Social Development, DEEM for Development Organization, Taybah Foundation for Development, and FHD – For Human Development Foundation. Their engagement ensured that discussions were grounded in local realities and informed by frontline experience.

Over three days, participants took part in practical, hands-on sessions designed to strengthen understanding of how early warning signals can trigger timely nutrition actions. Interactive group work, real‑world examples and open discussion helped translate anticipatory action concepts into concrete, usable approaches for the Yemeni context. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many participants requesting more time for case studies.

The workshop focused on three core goals:

1. Strengthen nutrition partners’ capacities, especially local and national actors, through tailored anticipatory action orientation and in‑country training
2. Develop recommendations and tools to integrate nutrition into national and local anticipatory action frameworks
3. Contribute to global learning by documenting insights from Yemen and sharing lessons with the wider humanitarian community

Participants identified several priorities for advancing nutrition‑sensitive anticipatory action in Yemen, including the integration of nutrition indicators into early warning systems, stronger cross‑sector coordination, and the central role of local leadership. Looking ahead, the Yemen Nutrition Cluster and partners will finalise the Nutrition-Anticipatory Action Roadmap, establish a technical working group, pilot early actions in selected areas, and engage partners to support implementation and scale‑up.

“This workshop helped turn anticipatory action into something practical and usable for local actors,” said Salah.

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