USAID Policy Document - Resiliency FINAL 11-26-12.indd

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By layering, integrating, and sequencing humanitarian anddevelopment assistance, we can further the objectives of eachto a greater extent than by programming in isolation.munities suffering from recurrent crisis, we cannot be satisfi edby continual cycles of suffering from one humanitarian crisisto the next. While we cannot stop shocks from occurring, wecan do much more to help people withstand and recover fromthem, creating a platform for their continued development. Bylayering, integrating, and sequencing humanitarian and developmentassistance, we can further the objectives of each toa greater extent than by programming in isolation. Throughsuccessfully capitalizing on their individual and shared purposesand strengths, we believe that, over the long term, our effortscan result in reduced humanitarian need where we apply thispolicy guidance.This policy and program guidance provides an operational visionfor the Agency intended to increase our effectiveness. Thisguidance will help us draw important lessons from the Horn ofAfrica and the Sahel, where heightened international attentionand strong leadership have created opportunities to innovateand build resilience. Although the actions required to buildresilience are likely to look different in different contexts thatface unique shocks and stresses, our experience in the Hornof Africa and the Sahel will provide key insights as we expandour focus to other areas. Identifi cation of additional areas offocus 4 will be guided by historic patterns of shocks, stresses, andhumanitarian need, among other factors. We also intend to issuemore detailed operational and program guidance and toolsto inform the implementation of this policy. This guidance willinform our work with partners, including those within the U.S.Government, who are indispensable to these efforts. The scopeof the problem requires concerted and concentrated action byall stakeholders.4 Beyond the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, this guidance will also be applied to other areas of recurrent crisis based on analysis of a variety of factors (see “SelectingAreas of Focus”) and through conversation between USAID/Washington and our fi eld missions.8
Framing ResilienceFor the purposes of this policy guidance, USAID views resiliencein the face of recurrent crisis as:the ability of people, households, communities, countries,and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recoverfrom shocks and stresses in a manner that reduceschronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.Shocks and stresses take many forms. Dramatic events suchas hurricanes, earthquakes, or tsunamis can have a devastating,immediate impact. Stresses can take less apparent but insidiousforms and often have more gradual onsets than shocks, includingevents such as drought, global economic volatility, or naturalresource depletion. In areas of chronic poverty, for example, asimple increase in food prices can trigger signifi cant underlyingvulnerability and result in crisis. Confl ict can be both a shock aswell as an underlying source of stress that can make communitiesmore vulnerable to other shocks when they hit.The actual impact of any given shock or set of stressors at thecommunity level is largely determined by the magnitude of thehazard itself, combined with the vulnerability to the shock and thecapacity of those affected to withstand them. In the most catastrophiccase, a shock can completely overwhelm a community tothe point of collapse. At a less extreme level, a society may eventuallyrecover, but diminished livelihoods and resources may leaveaffected populations worse off and more vulnerable than before.Source: Neil Thomas/USAIDUSAID strives to build resilience so that, in the face of stressesand shocks, the communities where we work are preparedand able to take anticipatory action to avoid major losses,and in the event that crisis results, they are able to respondeffectively and build back better than before. This continuedpath of growth – even in the face of potential setbacks – is acritical component of our work.THE RESULTS WE SEEKOur approach to resilience requires that we identify ways to layer, integrate, and sequence our humanitarian reliefand development assistance. We will specifi cally identify ways for our humanitarian assistance to seek more opportunitiesto reduce vulnerability and lay the foundation for longer-term development while continuing its primary focus onsaving lives and for our development assistance to undertake longer-time programming in chronically vulnerable communitiesand be suffi ciently fl exible in higher-risk areas as a means to build resilience and facilitate inclusive growth.Our efforts to build resilience will contribute to a sustainable reduction in vulnerability and more inclusive growth. Inthis pursuit and in the areas where we apply this policy and program guidance, we intend that our efforts will result in:• increased adaptive capacity,• improved ability to address and reduce risk, and• improved social and economic conditions of vulnerable populations.Over the long-term, we envision that these results will collectively contribute to reduced humanitarian need, and metricswill be developed to capture these results.Ultimately, we seek to save and improve lives. In the Horn of Africa, for example, we aim to benefi t directly 10 millionpeople and reduce the region’s emergency caseload by one million people within fi ve years. We are working to identifycomparable expectation for impact in the Sahel, based on local conditions, and will likewise develop metrics for impactin other focus countries and regions moving forward.9
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Page 5: Table of ContentsLetter from the Ad
Page 9 and 10: Executive SummaryWhile we cannot st
Page 11: IntroductionIn September 2011, at t
Page 15 and 16: Drawing Lessons from Ongoing Resili
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Page 19 and 20: CASE STUDY: THE SAHEL JOINT PLANNIN
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USAID Policy Document - Resiliency FINAL 11-26-12.indd

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