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

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Building Resilience:The Role of Disaster Risk ReductionDisaster risk reduction (DRR) interventions are aimedat reducing the risk associated with specific types ofhazards and disasters. In contrast to general developmentprograms or broader resilience programming,DRR programs focus on potential hazards or shocksand generally target groups that are particularly vulnerableto these hazards and risks. USAID’s DRR programsfocus specifically on (1) prioritizing and strengtheningearly warning, preparedness, mitigation, and prevention;(2) integrating preparedness and mitigation with disasterresponse, early recovery, and transitions to foster resilience;and (3) supporting diversified livelihood strategies.For instance, a DRR program might assist a communityliving in a seismically active zone with devising protocolsand procedures to respond to earthquakes or tsunamis.Similarly, a DRR program might assist city planners inflood-prone areas with shoring up rural and urban infrastructureto mitigate the negative impacts of flooding.Resilience, on the other hand, seeks to reduce risk ina broader sense by strengthening the ability of people,households, communities, countries, and systems tocope with both anticipated and unanticipated negativeshocks across a wider range of different areas ofintervention. While DRR programs are central to thegoal of building resilience, they are not sufficient in andof themselves. Becoming resilient requires a range ofapproaches to help communities develop the capacityto manage the range of challenges that threaten stability,whether sudden or longer term, urban or rural,natural or human-made. DRR programs are one partof the solution; to achieve resilience in any given area,a broader concerted and coordinated effort by bothdevelopment and humanitarian actors is required. Theseapproaches should integrate DRR with a diverse combinationof other interdependent activities that contributeto increasing adaptive capacity, improving the ability toaddress and reduce risk, and improving the social andeconomic conditions of vulnerable populations.plots), different sources of incomes, and the capacity to controlthe choice of foods being prepared and consumed are betterable to improve their household’s food security and nutrition. 6Approaches that systematically and visibly reduce key gendergaps and ensure that women are given the tools, resources, andopportunities to lead and participate are critical to the successof our efforts to achieve sustainable change.Source: USAIDPineapple pioneer Masum Ahmed showcases his contoured pineapple field inHail Haor, Bangladesh.Functioning institutions of good governance and democraticaccountability are essential to developing a country’s adaptivecapacity and its ability to address and reduce risk. Good governancerequires institutions and processes that are transparent,accountable, and responsive to the people they serve and thatpromote positive state-society relationships (including a strongcivil society and a vibrant private sector). Governance capacitydetermines the ability of the state to respond effectively to crisesand to address the long-term development needs requiredto effectively address recurrent issues. Furthermore, goodgovernance is crucial to prevent and mitigate confl ict, whichplays a detrimental role in many of the communities where weare applying a resilience approach and which has, in past effortsto build resilience, stood decisively in the way of sustainableprogress.Any approach that seeks to build resilience must be informedby confl ict dynamics, as humanitarian need may be great inareas emerging from confl ict or still fragile. Programming thatintegrates confl ict resolution and peace building, and strengthensinstitutions of good governance, plays an important role incontributing to the sustainability of development gains. In fragilestates where these challenges are particularly acute, the NewDeal for Engagement in Fragile States 7 provides both a normativeframework and top-level guidance for focusing the combinedefforts of host country leaders and international donorson inclusive politics and strengthening institutions of governance,which are essential to building states, peace, and resilience.The links between the many important factors required to buildresilience are complex. The challenge is to determine whichinstitutional, policy, and political constraints pose the most signifi -cant impediments to building resilience and which are amenable6 Ibnouf, Fatma. “The Role of Women in Providing and Improving Household Food Security in Sudan: Implications for Reducing Hunger and Malnutrition.” Journal of InternationalWomen’s Studies, Web. http://www.bridgew.edu/soas/jiws/May09/SudanFoodSecurity.pdf.7 Find more information on the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States at http://www.aideffectiveness.org/busanhlf4/about/new-deal-for-engagement-in-fragile-states.html.12
to reform and change through programmatic interventions.This includes deciding the appropriate level at which to engage.Often, communities that face recurrent crisis are also areas thatreceive limited political attention. Sustainable progress requires adeliberate shift in this dynamic. It is the responsibility of governmentsat all levels to ensure that these vulnerable communitiesreceive the appropriate support, and it is the responsibility ofinternational partners to support that transition to more robustengagement. Making an entire sector, system, or nation moreresilient requires a complex level of engagement with hostcountry partners that are able to exercise key state functionsand demonstrate the political will for reform in areas wherestructural problems interfere with or undermine resilience.SELECTING AREAS OF FOCUSWhile the concept of resilience has broad applicability to manyof the environments in which we work, this policy and programguidance is specifi cally focused on areas of recurrent crisis – thearea of intersection where chronic poverty overlaps with shocksand stresses – and where high levels of humanitarian assistancehave historically been dedicated and/or where shocks andstresses create signifi cant loss.The initial application of this policy and program guidance isfocused on the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, where there is aclear and signifi cant commitment from partner countries andthe international community to build resilience and where wehave already begun to implement the approach and operationalchanges outlined in this guidance. We also recognize the needfor a resilience approach in other areas where we work. Forexample, approximately 80 percent of global disaster-relatedeconomic losses occur in Asia. The nature of shocks and stressesthat typically affect Asia, for example, may be different than thosein the Horn of Africa or the Sahel or other regions. By undertakingthe operational agenda described in this guidance andapplying it to the contexts of different regions, USAID has theopportunity to build resilience in a diverse set of countries andregions around the world. Recognizing the broader applicabilityof this work, we have committed to identifying additional focuscountries or regions following the issuance of this guidance.There is signifi cant support across USAID for the approachoutlined in this guidance, and many of our missions have beenbuilding resilience at the household and community levelsfor some time. In addition, disaster risk reduction and climatechange resilience programs have created a foundation fromwhich we can expand our focus. The commitment of our staffto apply a resilience agenda is refl ective of our conviction thatthis approach has the potential to exponentially increase oureffectiveness and impact.We also recognize the need to develop a “proof of concept” forthe approach presented in this guidance and are aware of thesignifi cant investments of time, human, and fi nancial resourcesand attention from leaders at all levels that achieving successwill require. Therefore, we will intentionally focus the initialapplication of this guidance on a limited number of countriesand regions, allowing us to fully and systematically develop anevidence base. A small but diverse set of focus countries willallow us to be informed by a variety of circumstances that willcontribute to this evidence base. These countries will be chosenbased on conversations between headquarters and our fi eldmissions. USAID will rely on a series of criteria for identifying andprioritizing additional focus countries, including those outlined inthe box below:RecurrentCrisisVulnerabilityEnablingEnvironmentComparativeAdvantage• Historically high levels of USAIDhumanitarian assistance in areasof chronic vulnerability• High rates of chronic poverty• Persistently high acute malnutrition• Persistent humanitarian caseloads• Confl ict/fragility risk• Exposure to hazards,including natural hazards• Political will and institutional performance• Effective and responsive leadership at thelocal, national, and regional levels• Resilience activities already under way bypartner countries and communities• Minimum level of security exists to achieveresilience objectives• Existing USAID humanitarian programs• Existing USAID development programs• Programs, presence, and capabilities ofother U.S. Government agencies13
Page 2 and 3: Cover photo credits: (clockwise fro
Page 5: Table of ContentsLetter from the Ad
Page 9 and 10: Executive SummaryWhile we cannot st
Page 11 and 12: IntroductionIn September 2011, at t
Page 13 and 14: Framing ResilienceFor the purposes
Page 15: Drawing Lessons from Ongoing Resili
Page 19 and 20: CASE STUDY: THE SAHEL JOINT PLANNIN
Page 21 and 22: Core Operational PrinciplesAs laid
Page 24 and 25: 2. COORDINATED STRATEGIC PLANNINGRe
Page 26 and 27: 3. MUTUALLY INFORMED PROJECT DESIGN
Page 28 and 29: Conclusionexperience of the Joint P
Page 32: U.S. Agency for International Devel

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

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