On 8 December 2020 the Anticipation Hub was launched at the Global Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Action. This joint initiative between the German Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, brings together 50+ partners to advance action ahead of humanitarian crises. The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) is delighted to join this innovative initiative to exchange knowledge, learn and jointly scale up anticipatory action globally.
“The Anticipation Hub is really about connecting the experiences on the ground. There is an appetite for anticipation and working together on it”, says Prof.Dr. Maarten van Aalst, who moderated the (online) launch of the Anticipation Hub. ITC is one of the first academic partners at the launch, together with a few others such as Stellenbosch University, University of Oxford and Columbia University. Several ITC networks and partners are also connected to the hub, such as GEO and RIMES.
The Princess Margriet chair
Last year Maarten van Aalst was appointed full professor for ‘Spatial resilience for Disaster Risk Reduction’. This research chair was presented by the Red Cross and the University of Twente in the name of Princess Margriet on the occasion of her 75th birthday. “The Princess Margriet chair forms a natural bridge between ITC and the humanitarian world. There are several lines of research that contribute to the work of the Anticipation Hub. For example in the field of storms and floods, landslides and heat waves, but also early warning in conflict zones, applications in social protection and data ethics.”
About the Anticipation Hub
The Anticipation Hub identified three strategic priorities to meet the needs of its users across science, policy and practice. Firstly, to stimulate learning, innovation and exchange between those who develop and apply tools, methodologies and evidence related to anticipatory action. Secondly, provide guidance and support connecting different specialists and users to identify solutions. Thirdly, to promote lasting change through sustained policy and advocacy efforts to mainstream anticipatory approaches within the development and humanitarian systems at greater pace and scale.
Please see Anticipation Hub (anticipation-hub.org) for more information.
