Today I am pleased to announce that the Water Window is officially open for registration – I look forward to seeing innovative solutions to build flood resilience in at-risk communities.
The Water Window, established in partnership with the Zurich Insurance Group and the Z Zurich Foundation, is a community-based innovation challenge to find the best ideas to address the risks affecting flood-prone communities in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. Over the last 20 years, flooding has affected 2.3 billion people – yet during that period, just 13 percent of spending on aid went toward risk mitigation and building resilience.
The challenge is a competitive process intended to bring together local teams to create locally-driven, sustainable ways to equip communities with the tools they need to stay resilient in the face of a changing climate. The most successful entries will incorporate one or more of the following:
- Technology;
- Innovative financing, including risk transfer mechanisms;
- Measurement and diagnostics;
- Policy and influence; and
- Learning and innovation
The winning teams will be eligible for up to US $1 million in scaling-up grants – or $250,000 in seed grants – to bring their ideas to life. You can find a full criteria for submissions here. Please share this opportunity with colleagues and friends who may be interested in submitting a response and follow the Global Resilience Partnership’s microsite and Twitter handle for more updates.