Innovations for Resilience Convening

The Innovations for Resilience Convening, co-hosted by the Global Resilience Partnership, WFP, UNDP, and 1BC, focused on the role of technology and cross-sector partnerships in building community resilience. The report identifies key barriers to scaling innovations—such as rigid funding cycles and risk aversion—and showcases specific projects including satellite-based credit in the Horn of Africa, drone mapping in the Maldives, and hydroponics in Algeria. It emphasizes the need for 'disruptive change' and a 'fail fast' mindset to move from gradual development improvements to exponential growth in resilience.

• Resilience is defined by the World Food Programme (WFP) as the capacity to absorb shocks by reducing risk, adapt through proactive choices, and transform systems through empowerment and improved governance.
• Public-private partnerships are essential for building resilience as they provide the business cases necessary to overcome funding and sustainability barriers, specifically supporting SDG 17.
• A significant barrier to scaling resilience innovations is the tendency to over-invest in pilot projects, which hinders the ability to 'fail fast' and prevents the development of sustainable business models.
• The report identifies several systemic obstacles to scaling, including a lack of upfront planning, ineffective business models, restrictive funding cycles that limit adaptive implementation, and internal organizational resistance to change.
• Specific technological innovations are being deployed to address climate and disaster risks, such as the use of drones for risk mapping in the Maldives and the 'Forecast-based Financing' (FbF) program which releases humanitarian funds based on forecast thresholds.
• Agricultural resilience is being addressed through market-based risk management like Risk-Contingent Credit (RCC) in the Horn of Africa, which uses satellite data to monitor drought and offset loan payments.
• Low-tech hydroponic solutions are being used in Algeria to provide animal fodder for Sahrawi refugees, reducing costs by 90% while maintaining 60% productivity compared to high-tech versions.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2018). Innovations for Resilience Convening. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/innovations-for-resilience-convening.pdf

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Innovations for Resilience Convening. 2018. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/innovations-for-resilience-convening.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Innovations for Resilience Convening |date=June 2018 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/innovations-for-resilience-convening.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2018innovations, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Innovations for Resilience Convening}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/innovations-for-resilience-convening.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }