SAHEL — Of all the money and investment spent on global development during the past three decades, over $3.8 trillion has been lost because of recurrent crises. To tackle this issue, The Rockefeller Foundation and USAID have paired up to start the Global Resilience Partnership. The Global Resilience Partnership seeks to assist communities in South and Southeast Asia, the Horn of Africa and Sahel in achieving sustainable development that is resistant to natural and man-made hardships.
Natural disasters, economic recessions and political instability all threaten development and inhibit individuals from pulling themselves out of poverty. Since 1980, the number of crises worldwide has tripled, costing over $200 billion each year. According to USAID, the increasing effects of climate change along with exponential population growth leave many more people exposed to crises.
Developing nations are impacted especially hard by these disasters and suffer significant human, resource and economic loss. For example, while poor nations are only hit by 9 percent of natural disasters each year, they account for 48 percent of all deaths.
Due to weak governments and lack of infrastructure, those in poor areas are most vulnerable when a drought or civil conflict occurs. The international support and aid for growth earmarked for these communities are largely misappropriated and then must be replaced with emergency disaster relief funds.
The Global Resilience Partnership will target areas most prone to crises, especially South and Southeast Asia, the Horn of Africa, and Sahel. In the African region, over 23 million people suffered food insecurity because of the severe droughts in 2011 and 2012. It is also predicted that by 2025, more than 400 million people’s homes in those sections of Africa will be susceptible to flooding.
Stresses and shocks continue to inhibit growth by pushing communities backwards on their road to development. The initiative hopes to change the reactive approach to disasters to one of proactive readiness and strength for the world’s poor.
The formation of the Global Resilience Partnership was announced during the U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit, held in Washington, D.C. from August 4-6, 2014. The initiative also affirmed its preliminary commitment of $100 million to invest in policies, technological advancements, and programs that will help improve resilience in the poorest regions of the world.
One important element of the project will be Resilience Challenge competition. It is an invitation to non-profits, institutions, and businesses to compete and present original and inventive solutions to the pressing problems affecting the areas in Africa and Asia.
By coordinating humanitarian and development assistance, the Resilience Partnership aims to keep poor regions on a steady and continual path to development.
The partnership also aims to reduce poverty by strengthening cooperation among private business, civil society and government, which will empower local leadership. In that way, the initiative seeks to ensure that investments in development for low-income countries are long lasting and build national resilience. The Global Resilience Partnership also offers a new way of addressing global poverty and looking at the effectiveness of development aid.
– Kathleen Egan
Sources: Rockefeller Foundation, USAID, All Africa
Photo: Enisa