Launched at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019, the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) brings together an unprecedented range of stakeholders across the climate, humanitarian and development communities with the aim of making 1 billion people safer from disasters by 2025.

Despite the mounting impacts of climate change, one in three people are still not adequately covered by early warning systems, and early and anticipatory approaches - enabling action in advance of hazards striking - are not implemented at the scale required.  Yet we know early warning and early action can save lives and assets worth at least ten times their cost.

We create a space in which partners and aligned organizations use our ambitious targets to drive a systemic shift towards acting earlier to reduce the impacts of disasters, mobilize commitments and inspire action.

We do not create a new funding mechanism or directly implement ground-level projects; however, we seek to enable coherence, alignment and complementarity of existing initiatives, while learning together what new initiatives are needed to make 1 billion people safer from disasters.

Our partners agree that only by working together across sectoral silos and involving those at risk, can global ability to act ahead of climate extremes and disasters be strengthened.

THE 4 TARGETS

REAP was launched with the announcement of four targets, each of which contributes to making 1 billion people safer from disaster by 2025.

Developed by the convening partners of REAP, these ambitious targets are achievable only through partnership and a shared commitment to joined-up, risk-informed early action.

Working Groups support the delivery of REAP’s targets and advance specific thematic areas of work. Participation in Working Groups is voluntary, with interested REAP partners and observers invited to participate on a ‘opt-in’ basis. Working Groups may contribute to the preparation of policy papers and recommendations to the Board. The Working Groups and their areas of work remain flexible to the needs of the Partnership and will evolve with the implementation of REAP.

Below is the list of Working Groups and Task Forces that are currently in place and addressing the following themes (noting these may adapt in line with needs of the partnership and the external environment):

1. REAP Target 1 Working Group on Comprehensive Risk Management: convening key stakeholders involved in supporting countries to create, develop and review their legal frameworks, policies, strategies and plans in order to achieve stronger coordination, alignment and complementarity. The overarching objective of the group is to help achieve REAP’s first target by 2025. The co-Chairs of this Working Group are UNDRR, and the REAP Secretariat.

2. Linking Risk Financing to Anticipatory Action: strengthening links between early action and disaster risk finance stakeholders, identifying good practice and future opportunities. This group is Chaired by the Anticipation Hub. 

3. Early Warning Initiatives Working Group: building coherence between existing initiatives, sharing learning and co-producing greater action. The co-Chairs of this group are Practical Action, UKMO, and the REAP Secretariat.

4. Risk Communication Working Group: addressing elements of REAP Target 4, ensuring that complex risk information is delivered to decision makers - from communities to government - in a timely, actionable manner. The co-Chairs of this group are BBC Media Action and Resurgence.

Linking Social Protection and Early Action Task Force: conducting research and developing guidance on the evidence base and effective practices, to mobilise further investment in shock responsive social protection systems that support early action. The co-Chairs are UK FCDO and USAID.