Paper details
| Paper authors | Gefra Fulane; Sarita Dhungana |
| In panel on | Getting Ahead of Disasters by Connecting Early Warning and Anticipatory Action That Works for All |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
In contexts where disaster warnings are increasingly ignored or misunderstood, trust has emerged as a critical yet under-measured factor in humanitarian preparedness and early action. The Community Trust Index (CTI) is a new tool developed by the IFRC to measure community trust in the systems, actors, and alerts behind early warning systems (EWS). Designed through participatory research and piloted in Mozambique and Nepal, the CTI reveals how trust is deeply shaped by local histories, institutional legacies, and lived experiences of aid. It also makes visible the unequal dynamics — by gender, age, literacy, and geography — that influence who listens, who acts, and who gets left behind.
This paper critically reflects on the design and adaptation of the CTI as a response to growing demands for locally led, contextually grounded, and decolonized approaches to disaster risk reduction. It argues that building trust is not just a principle, but a measurable practice of accountability and equity. By sharing findings and lessons from field implementation, the paper contributes to broader conversations on how evidence, voice, and trust can be re-centered in humanitarian systems.
