Resilience Evidence Forum 2023 Synthesis Report

The Resilience Evidence Forum 2023 Synthesis Report outlines a multi-scalar approach to building resilience, focusing on people, communities, urban systems, socio-ecological systems, and market systems. It emphasizes the transition from top-down measurement to co-produced evidence that integrates local and Indigenous knowledge with scientific data. The report identifies critical gaps in funding for climate resilience—noting that less than $50 billion is spent annually against needs of $160-340 billion—and advocates for gender-transformative approaches, integrated health and nutrition systems, and the use of mixed-methods to capture transformative, long-term outcomes rather than just short-term recovery.

• There is a significant funding gap for climate resilience; while annual needs are estimated between $160 billion and $340 billion, actual spending is less than $50 billion, with the private sector contributing less than 2%.
• Resilience evidence is evolving to recognize lived experiences and Indigenous knowledge as core components, though this creates tensions in standardizing indicators and balancing evidence legitimacy with salience.
• In urban systems, community-led data collection in informal settlements is robust, but there is a persistent trust deficit between these evidence producers and the municipalities or funders who use the data.
• Socio-ecological resilience (SER) requires a justice and equity lens to identify barriers and leverage points, as power dynamics mediate resilience capacities and nature cannot be treated as separate from people.
• Market systems resilience is inextricably linked to the resilience of the communities they serve, with local private sector actors often proving more resilient than larger counterparts during shocks due to closer feedback mechanisms.
• Gender-transformative approaches are necessary to address the disproportionate impact of climate hazards on women, as traditional resilience programming often overlooks gendered roles in food systems and labor intensity under heat stress.
• Health resilience is often neglected in multisectoral programming, yet it is fundamental to economic and social resilience; there is a specific need for anticipatory surge capacity to manage acute malnutrition and health emergencies.
• Agricultural productivity is a primary driver of rural economic development, where a 1% growth in agriculture in developing countries can stimulate industrial growth by 1.0% to 1.3%.
• Economic migration should be reframed as an adaptive opportunity rather than a failure, as it can lead to improved living conditions, asset accumulation, and poverty reduction through remittances.
• In conflict-affected areas, cash transfers and psychosocial interventions have shown positive effects, but there is a lack of evidence on transformative resilience that goes beyond simply 'bouncing back'.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2023). Resilience Evidence Forum 2023 Synthesis Report. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ref_synthesis-report.pdf

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Resilience Evidence Forum 2023 Synthesis Report. 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ref_synthesis-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Resilience Evidence Forum 2023 Synthesis Report |date=2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ref_synthesis-report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2023resilience, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Resilience Evidence Forum 2023 Synthesis Report}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ref_synthesis-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }