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The Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) is a three-year, £40m programme jointly implemented by the Start and CDAC Networks that aims to significantly improve the quality and speed of humanitarian response in countries at risk of natural disasters or conflict related emergencies. This programme is very much aligned with sector-wide discussions around the need to shift the focus of aid investment towards crises prevention, preparedness and building national humanitarian capacity in order to reduce the damage caused by disasters. In the past year, the DEPP has transitioned from its initial set-up phase to active implementation, and projects are now beginning to collect evidence around the many successes, challenges and results of their activities. This year’s DEPP Learning Report, produced by the DEPP Learning Project at Action Against Hunger, explores the extent to which the programme is leading to the changes it has set out to make. It does this by highlighting examples of key learning, reflections, successes and challenges from the 14 projects that make up the DEPP. This piece is aimed at both DEPP stakeholders as well as other humanitarian actors with a vested interest in emergency preparedness and response.

Our third year was one of exciting progress and significant learning, with 74 alerts – nearly as many as our first two years combined – funding 94 projects in 29 countries, reaching nearly 2 million people affected by crisis. Find out more about the work of the Start Fund, including our performance, how we are meeting our commitments to the Grand Bargain, our Anticipation Window, and why we hold localisation at the heart of our work.

This report is the first of its kind for the Start Network and the first report in the humanitarian sector that showcases what can be accomplished through system-change initiatives. It tells the story of what system change looks like in practice and how it can be delivered.

<p>In 2015, the Start Network members began three collaborative responses to large-scale crises: the Central African Republic (CAR) Refugees in Cameroon Response (Cameroon); the Ebola Preparedness Programme (Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast); and the European Refugee Crisis (Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia).</p>  

In 2015, the Start Network members began three collaborative responses to large-scale crises: the Central African Republic (CAR) Refugees in Cameroon Response (Cameroon); the Ebola Preparedness Programme (Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast); and the European Refugee Crisis (Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia).

In 2015, the Start Network members began three collaborative responses to large-scale crises: the Central African Republic (CAR) Refugees in Cameroon Response (Cameroon); the Ebola Preparedness Programme (Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast); and the European Refugee Crisis (Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia).

This report, for donors, Network Members and all Start Fund stakeholders, provides evidence on the performance of the Start Fund, and reflections on the challenges we have collectively faced over the last year.

This report captures the learning that is emerging so far from the Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Programme.

The current international humanitarian system, dominated by large international organisations, is being stretched to its limit. Dealing with growing frequency, unpredictability and complexity of emergencies, it appears increasingly unfit to deal with these challenges, let alone address future ones. One opportunity to address these is getting the balance right between international and local response.

The Save the Children Humanitarian Capacity Building (HCB) team has produced an annual overview providing evidence from a range of learning programmes.