Global Resilience Partnership

Advancing Resilience

Innovation, Knowledge, and Policy

Who we are

74 Partners working together to create impact.

The Partnership

What we do

Adding value through collaboration and convening.

Our Areas of Work

Knowledge

Drawing from the latest knowledge and evidence sources.

Latest Knowledge

News and Opinions

Stay up to date with the latest news from GRP!

Voices from the Frontline July 4, 2023

Surviving the aftermath of heavy snowfall in Merak, Bhutan: A story of tackling Loss and Damage

In Merak, Bhutan, we meet Ms. Pema Wangmo, who, with the help of her community, worked to restore greenhouses destroyed by climate change-induced snow fall. This is the fifth of the “Voices from the Frontline (Phase III)” stories by GRP and ICCCAD supported by Irish Aid.

Voices from the Frontline June 27, 2023

The struggles of a herder from Rasuwa, Nepal

In Rasuwa, Nepal, we meet Pasang Norchel Tamang who share his struggles with cattle herding and its effects due to a changing climate. This is the fourth of the “Voices from the Frontline (Phase III)” stories by GRP and ICCCAD supported by Irish Aid.

Article June 26, 2023

Resilience Academy in South Asia: Inspiring participants to share their perspectives

A special supplement of Climate Tribune in Bangladesh published reflections on loss and damage from the 2022 participants of the academy.

Partner Blog June 14, 2023

Climate crisis swings rural school children into action in Zambia

In this story by Knowledge Into Use awards winner, Enoch Mwangilwa, children from the Chongololo and Chipembele Conservation Clubs are making a difference by using art and peer-to-peer climate education to encourage their communities to adopt sustainable practices.

Voices from the Frontline June 13, 2023

Mongla, Bangladesh: A model of successful adaptability

In Mongal, Bangladesh the community and the mayor are working together to adapt to climate change. This is the third of the “Voices from the Frontline (Phase III)” stories by GRP and ICCCAD supported by Irish Aid.

GRP is not just another NGO, it helps challenge the existing, dysfunctional system as much as it helps build an equitable and inclusive resilient future for those of us on the frontlines of shocks and stresses. The Partnership represents a way forward where organisations of all sizes, from both the public and private sectors, as well as from the Global South and Global North, can come together as equal voices and make commitments to develop resilient responses to the threats we face. Sheela Patel, Founder and Director of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resources Centres (SPARC), India

Changing course towards a resilient and sustainable future requires transformative collaboration across sectors, scales and geographies. GRP unites partners to learn from each other, launch innovative solutions, and drive investments into resilience. As we race to a better world, I am excited to have GRP as a key resilience ally. Nigel Topping, UN Climate Change High Level Climate Champion, COP26

The Global South Talent Pool has given me the opportunity to learn, grow and contribute to GRP’s mission. On the ground, young people, women’s groups and communities are all working on innovative, climate solutions. GRP amplifies voices, shares stories, and supports and nurtures innovative solutions to scale. Jen Abdella, Director of Climate Resilient Development, Near East Foundation

On Topic

Quick links to key initiatives, tools, and reports from the Global Resilience Partnership.

PREPARE Call to Action to the Private Sector

GRP together with USAID and with input from the Office of the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate is excited to announce the ten companies responding to the PREPARE Call to Action.

Resilience Perspectives

What does resilience building in the context of climate change look like? Activists and entrepreneurs share their experiences

Explore the Series

Innovative Finance for Resilience

Over the next three years, GRP will be working with Mountain Harvest in Uganda and the Near East Foundation in Sudan to provide small-scale farmers access to fairly-priced loans.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) advances resilience through identifying and scaling on the ground innovation, generating and sharing knowledge, and shaping policy.

Innovative Investments with Real-World Impact

7 million

People supported to become more resilient.

1,300

Organisations supported through capacity and partnership building activities.

More information

1.4 million

Users of early warning system or climate information.

We are the Global Resilience Partnership

GRP is made up of organisations joining forces to work together towards a world where people and places persist, adapt and transform in the face of shocks, uncertainty and change. GRP believes that resilience underpins sustainable development in an increasingly unpredictable world.

African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES)

Adrienne Arsht – Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock)

Climate-KIC

Africa Research Impact Network (ARIN)

Project Drawdown

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy (BASE)

Winrock International

YouThinkGreen Egypt

Munich Re Foundation

Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC)

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Global Affairs Canada

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD)

LDCs Universities Consortioum on Climate Change (LUCCC)

Center for Complex Systems in Transition (CST)

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN)

SouthSouthNorth (SSN)

Global Innovation Fund (GIF)

Climate Justice Resilience Fund

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)

World Resources Institute (WRI)

Mekelle University

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

WWF

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

South Pole

International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Landscape Resilience Fund (LRF)

Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

University of Exeter

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC)

Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI)

Huairou Commission

Mercy Corps

Care International

Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk & Resilience (MRR Innovation Lab)

Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction-World Bank (GFDRR)

Groundswell International

Mahila SEWA Housing Trust (MHT)

iDE Global

International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Near East Foundation (NEF)

Plan International

Wetlands International

We Effect

Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD)

Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS)

Bureau for Information, Exchanges, and Research for Development (BIFERD)

Global Shea Alliance (GSA)

Lutheran World Relief (LWR)

The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)

Seacology

Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA)

World Ocean Council (WOC)

One Architecture & Urbanism (ONE)

MetaMeta

Atma Connect

Z Zurich Foundation

Global Parametrics

Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)

AXA XL

ICF

BRAC International

KPMG

Cervest

Clyde & Co

Latest Uploads to the Resilience Platform

Visit the Resilience Platform and share your own resilience solutions, stories, initiatives, evidence and tools.

May 22, 2023

Success Factors for Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM): Lessons from Kenya and Australia

Recent concerns over a crisis of identity and legitimacy in community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) have emerged following several decades of documented failure. A substantial literature has developed on the reasons for failure in CBNRM. In this paper, we complement this literature by considering these factors in relation to two successful CBNRM case studies. These cases have distinct differences, one focusing on the conservation of hirola in Kenya on community-held trust land and the other focusing on remnant vegetation conservation from grazing pressure on privately held farm land in Australia. What these cases have in common is that both CBNRM projects were initiated by local communities with strong attachments to their local environments. The projects both represent genuine community initiatives, closely aligned to the original aims of CBNRM. The intrinsically high level of “ownership” held by local residents has proven effective in surviving many challenges which have affected other CBNRM projects: from impacts on local livelihoods to complex governance arrangements involving non-government organizations and research organizations. The cases provide some signs of hope among broader signs of crisis in CBNRM practice.

May 22, 2023

Doing more harm than good? Community based natural resource management and the neglect of local institutions in policy development

Approaches to natural resource management emphasise the importance of involving local people and institutions in order to build capacity, limit costs, and achieve environmental sustainability. Governments worldwide, often encouraged by international donors, have formulated devolution policies and legal instruments that provide an enabling environment for devolved natural resource management. However, implementation of these policies reveals serious challenges. This article explores the effects of limited involvement of local people and institutions in policy development and implementation. An in-depth study of the Forest Policy of Malawi and Village Forest Areas in the Lilongwe district provides an example of externally driven policy development which seeks to promote local management of natural resources. The article argues that policy which has weak ownership by national government and does not adequately consider the complexity of local institutions, together with the effects of previous initiatives on them, can create a cumulative legacy through which destructive resource use practices and social conflict may be reinforced. In short, poorly developed and implemented community based natural resource management policies can do considerably more harm than good. Approaches are needed that enable the policy development process to embed an in-depth understanding of local institutions whilst incorporating flexibility to account for their location-specific nature. This demands further research on policy design to enable rigorous identification of positive and negative institutions and ex-ante exploration of the likely effects of different policy interventions.

May 22, 2023

Community-based Adaptation to Extreme Climate Events in Maharashtra

The manifestation of climate change in the form of extreme weather events is not a new challenge to India. On the contrary, high climate variability and drought have always been endemic to the monsoon belt. Hence, local societies have evolved over time to adopt many ingenious mechanisms to tackle drought risks. Maharashtra is, in this regard, a forerunner in drought risk management in India. The 2012 drought in Maharashtra did not lead to the massive hardships that were seen in the drought of 1972, or earlier, even though crop and income losses of 50% and more were reported among many farmers. This booklet is based on outcomes from a two-year Indo-Norwegian research and capacity development project titled, ‘Extreme Risks, Vulnerabilities and Community-Based Adaptation in India (EVA)’. The findings draw upon empirical data from rural communities in Jalna District in the drylands region of Marathwada of Maharashtra. The booklet provides assessments of impacts and vulnerabilities to extreme risks of agriculture and water resources and insights into how rural communities have been able to withstand and respond to the recent drought and changes in monsoon patterns. It explains how the government and non-governmental agencies at state and district levels have responded and enabled or constrained community-level initiatives. The report outlines research approaches utilized to study Community-based Adaptation (CBA). It draws some early lessons about potential avenues for local adaptation strategies to future climate extremes and what considerations and challenges these raise for coordination and convergence in the governance system at local and state levels. The booklet is intended for development practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers interested in climate change and rural development challenges in Maharashtra.

May 22, 2023

Learning from Failures: Why It May Not Happen

The article identify several reasons why organizations may struggle to learn from their failures, including cognitive biases, organizational politics, and a lack of incentives for learning. They also discuss how organizations can overcome these barriers by creating a culture of psychological safety, encouraging experimentation and reflection, and providing incentives for learning. One key finding of the article is that organizations often fail to learn from their failures because they focus too much on assigning blame rather than identifying the root causes of the failure. The authors argue that organizations should adopt a more systemic approach to learning from failures that focuses on understanding the complex interactions between people, processes, and technology. Learning from failures requires a willingness to challenge assumptions and experiment with new approaches. The authors suggest that organizations should encourage employees to take risks and experiment with new ideas, while also providing support and resources for these efforts.

May 22, 2023

Ineptitude, ignorance, or intent: The social construction of failure in development

The article explores the social construction of failure in development policy and academic narratives. Talk of failure is commonplace in development, and this paper seeks to use that as a heuristic to understand what that it signifies beyond face value. Drawing on a wide range of primary and secondary texts to provide illustrative evidence, the paper explores how failure is constructed, and advances a three-fold typology of failures that vary in terms of their positionally, the critical variables they identify as responsible, their epistemological stance, and the importance they accord to politics. This paper has taken the persistent discourse of failure in development as a point of departure to understand what it signifies, how it is structured, and what consequences it bears. That is, it does not intend to explain why development fails, but rather why it is constantly said to fail. This task is approached firstly by framing failure as a socially constructed category. With multiple, changing sets of beneficiaries, definitions, goals, and indicators of success, and out- comes that are multi-layered, evolve over time, hard to measure, and generate unpredictable externalities, every successful project can also be reinterpreted as a failure.