Karachi, (TW News) – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under the DG ECHO-funded Integrated Disaster Preparedness for Resilience Building project being implemented jointly with the World Food Programme (WFP), organized a provincial consultation in Karachi to support context analysis for anticipatory action in Khairpur district. The consultation brought together representatives from the Government of Sindh, including the agriculture, livestock, irrigation, and disaster management departments, alongside academia, civil society organizations, humanitarian partners, and United Nations agencies to jointly analyse disaster risks, vulnerabilities, institutional challenges, and community resilience capacities in the district.

The consultation served as a key step in informing the development of conflict-sensitive and context-specific anticipatory action approaches for climate-related hazards affecting Khairpur, particularly droughts, floods, and heatwaves. Participants discussed existing vulnerabilities, food security concerns, climate pressures, and governance challenges while identifying opportunities to strengthen resilience and preparedness systems at provincial and district levels.

During the workshop, stakeholders engaged in a series of participatory group exercises designed to validate existing vulnerability and risk findings. Discussions focused on identifying key drivers of vulnerability, social dividers and connectors, and the roles of influential actors in both current and post-disaster contexts. Particular attention was given to how disasters impact food security, social cohesion, access to resources such as land and water, and the broader social fabric of communities.

Participants also examined institutional and governance-related pressures affecting disaster preparedness and response, while reflecting on lessons from previous humanitarian and resilience interventions. Through a conflict sensitivity lens, the consultation explored how anticipatory action measures can be designed in ways that minimize exclusion, avoid unintended tensions, and ensure equitable support to the most vulnerable populations.

The consultation further enabled stakeholders to identify coordination gaps, map institutional roles, and discuss early warning indicators and potential anticipatory actions relevant to Khairpur’s local context. Inputs gathered during the exercise will contribute to the ongoing context analysis and support the formulation of anticipatory action protocols aimed at protecting livelihoods, strengthening resilience, and improving preparedness for climate-related shocks.

The Integrated Disaster Preparedness for Resilience Building project seeks to strengthen government capacities and systems for disaster preparedness and early action through collaborative, multi-sectoral approaches that support resilient agrifood systems and vulnerable communities in Sindh.