Three days before Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall in northern Mozambique, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated US$6 million to help hundreds of thousands of people ahead of the storm.
Jude, which struck Nampula province on 10 March, is the third cyclone to hit Mozambique in less than three months. The country - which is highly vulnerable to storms, droughts, floods and other climate shocks - is still reeling from the effects of Cyclones Chido and Dikeledi, which left nearly 700,000 people in need of humanitarian aid.
"Investing in anticipatory action before disasters strike is key to protecting communities," said Laura Tomm Bonde, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. in Mozambique. "The Fund's rapid funding is a lifeline, enabling our humanitarian partners to act swiftly and save lives."
The CERF allocation allowed the UN and its partners to assist 290,000 people, more than half of whom are women and girls, through critical early warning messages and the delivery of shelter supplies and hygiene and water treatment products, as well as providing access to urgent health, gender-based violence and child protection services. Temporary accommodation centers have also been set up for people displaced by the cyclone.
The funding was released as part of the UN's Anticipatory Action initiative, which brings the UN and its partners together before predicted crises strike to curb potential humanitarian impacts. Ahead of Cyclone Jude, in collaboration with the Government of Mozambique, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, led efforts to ensure people received support before, during and after the storm.
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By harnessing scientific advances that allow shocks to be predicted, alongside financing and action plans agreed upon in advance, the anticipatory action approach helps save lives and provide swift assistance to fragile communities, making more efficient use of limited funding and allowing for a faster, more predictable and better coordinated response.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has spearheaded efforts to scale up anticipatory action globally. Since 2020, the OCHA-managed CERF has disbursed more than $115 million for anticipatory action worldwide, assisting over 4 million people ahead of predictable crises, such as droughts, cyclones, floods and disease outbreaks.
For more information, please contact OCHA Mozambique:
Paola Serrao Emerson, Head of Office, emersonp@un.org, +258 84 332 9172
Federica D'Andreagiovanni, Head of Communication, dandreagiovannif@un.org, +258 85 024 50 82
