Resilience in Action: Lessons from Public-Private Collaborations Around the World

The report argues that public-private collaborations (PPCs) are a strong model for leveraging the resources of both government and business to meet the growing need for climate and disaster resilience investments. It identifies six key success factors for policy-makers: building on local trust, starting small for scalability, integrating skill building, strengthening livelihoods, creating value-chain partnerships, and finding innovative infrastructure alternatives. Through nine case studies across sectors like agriculture, water, and energy, the document demonstrates that PPCs can engage a diverse range of actors—from multinationals to micro-enterprises—to deliver place-specific adaptation and disaster risk management solutions.

• Public-private collaborations (PPCs) can overcome traditional market barriers to deliver resilience-building solutions by leveraging the strengths of both government and business.
• Private sector investment in disaster risk management and adaptation is hindered by two primary barriers: high upfront investment costs that conflict with short-term business needs, and the difficulty of monetising resilience investments to realise a financial payback.
• Effective resilience-building requires a foundation of local engagement and trust, often necessitating that programmes address immediate community needs before tackling long-term resilience challenges.
• Building resilient livelihoods is a core mechanism for addressing climate and disaster risks, as it increases the adaptive capacity of communities through the development of micro-enterprises and alternative income sources.
• PPCs are most effective when they are designed for replicability and scalability, often starting with simple, process-oriented structures that do not rely on proprietary technology.
• Innovative alternatives to traditional, high-cost infrastructure, such as the use of water kiosks or off-grid micro-grids, can provide essential services while creating local entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Partnerships along or across value chains, particularly in agriculture, help businesses mitigate supply chain risks and create new revenue streams for smallholder farmers.
• The roles of partners in PPCs are diverse and often evolve; the public sector frequently funds start-up costs and capacity building before taking a less central role as the project matures.

APA

Becker-Birck, C., Crowe, J., Lee, J., & Jackson, S. (2013). Resilience in Action: Lessons from Public-Private Collaborations Around the World. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/MCG_ResilienceinActionReportweb.pdf

Chicago

Becker-Birck, Christina, Jon Crowe, Joanne Lee, and Summer Jackson. Resilience in Action: Lessons from Public-Private Collaborations Around the World. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/MCG_ResilienceinActionReportweb.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Becker-Birck |first1=Christina |last2=Crowe |first2=Jon |last3=Lee |first3=Joanne |last4=Jackson |first4=Summer |title=Resilience in Action: Lessons from Public-Private Collaborations Around the World |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/MCG_ResilienceinActionReportweb.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{beckerbirck2013resilience, author = {Becker-Birck, Christina and Crowe, Jon and Lee, Joanne and Jackson, Summer}, title = {{Resilience in Action: Lessons from Public-Private Collaborations Around the World}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/MCG_ResilienceinActionReportweb.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }