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PfR achievements 

ACHIEVEMENTS IN STRENGTHENING CAPACITY FOR LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY

PfR strengthened the capacity of civil society to engage in lobbying and advocacy leading to the incorporation of Integrated Risk Management in relevant policies, investments and practices, helping vulnerable communities to become more resilient to disaster risk. PfR was successful in enhancing collaboration among stakeholders, increasing their understanding of their own rights and the context of the risks they face.

By strengthening the dialogue capacity of civil society organizations, thereby achieving meaningful results in making communities resilient amid increasing disaster risks. By having a shared IRM approach with common principles whilst allowing for tailor-made implementation based on local needs, the programme was successful in different local contexts. Linkages to global frameworks have helped shape legitimacy for IRM promotion. By linking local and global levels, PfR contributed to localization of global frameworks. Ownership of and leadership in policy dialogues by civil society organizations have increased considerably.

LOCAL CAPACITIES STRENGTHENED TO TAKE THE IRM AGENDA FORWARD

As well as local CSO partners and other stakeholders, alliance members learnt to influence policies, practices and investments to address risks in an integrated way. Partners gained and shared knowledge on IRM and improved their lobbying and advocacy skills in a well-structured manner: they applied a dialogue capacity framework to assess a range of dialogue capacities every six months, setting themselves capacity goals for 2020. They organized activities like workshops, training courses, and field and exchange visits to address skills needed for effective lobbying and advocacy. Across the programme, PfR initiated and guided multi-stakeholder platforms, forums and networks as an effective approach to influence policies, plans and investments. In these, community representatives, CBOs, government, the private sector, and other actors at various levels worked and learnt together about IRM-sensitive policies and plans. Multi-stakeholder platforms are well suited to include actors within a certain landscape, for example the Kinnaite Wetlands Working Group in South Sudan. In such platforms PfR worked with others on strengthening advocacy capacity with government bodies, such as in Guatemala, and other stakeholders like the media, as in Uganda, and the private sector, like in Kenya, to ensure the uptake of IRM measures to the benefit of communities.

THEORY OF CHANGE

One of the main conclusions from the external evaluation conducted in 2019-2020 was that PfR has been successful in strengthening the capacity of CSOs, and achieving meaningful results in terms of improved policies and enhanced practices, thereby making communities resilient in the face of increasing disaster risks. It was noted that the programme was able to balance coherence and diversity, which allowed PfR to respond to different local contexts. Linkages to global frameworks have helped shape legitimacy for IRM promotion and to a certain extent global frameworks have been localized. Ownership and leadership from CSOs on policy dialogues has increased considerably.

SUSTAINING LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY CAPACITY

PfR was successful in strengthening the capacities of community-based organizations and implementing partners to lobby and advocate for integrated risk management. By adopting an institutional approach, capacities were embedded within organizations and policies, laying the foundations for continued promotion of IRM after the end of the programme. Some examples of great achievements are listed below:

• Formalization: In Mali in early 2019, the Regional Coalition of Mopti, obtained its official registration and recognition which gives it not only a legal basis to operate and to lobby, but also facilitates partnership development with key stakeholders.

• Institutionalization: In the Philippines, ACCORD has been a partner organization since the beginning of PfR and building upon its successes of the past ten years, is now comfortably engaging independently in national-level advocacy. In India all front-line Red Cross volunteers in Assam, Gujarat and Uttarakhand are receiving IRM training as part of a social and emergency-response curriculum covering first aid and disaster management. Some national-level Social Emergency Response Volunteer training for Indian Red Cross volunteers incorporated IRM orientation. In Ethiopia, IRM is mainstreamed in the regular BSc and MSc programmes of Semera and Jigjiga universities.

• Resource mobilisation (for local resilience): In Kenya, local implementing partners MID-P, IMPACT, Laikipia Wildlife Forum and the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) have been able to attract new funding from external donors to leverage PfR resilience activities at grass-roots level in other counties. MID-P coordinates the Isiolo civil society network, has pushed for the approval of the Isiolo County Climate Change Funds Mechanism Act, and is closely involved in getting it implemented.

• Scaling up of successful models of engagement: In the Philippines, the MSP Climate Change Adaptation Framework, a ten-year strategy first used in rural areas of Guiuan, is being replicated in urban Mandaue, Cebu City, and also in Surigao del Norte.

• Identifying and supporting IRM champions: To overcome the cultural and social barriers holding back women in Mali from leadership roles in resilience and advocacy, existing women’s groups organized around micro-credit, income-generating activities and other issues were involved in the selection of IRM champions, of whom so far 50 per cent are women – important for their ability to advocate for access to land and gender equity.

REFLECTION ON CIVIC SPACE

Disaster risk reduction, climate change and the importance of ecosystems are generally not very politically sensitive topics. Countries have signed international framework agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, and governments are committed to their implementation. Through building the capacity of CSOs to both critique and support the implementation of international agreements, PfR has good entry points for engagement with governments. In many countries there is good coordination and collaboration between CSOs and the authorities across multiple levels and sectors. However, with the issue of land rights certain drivers of risk and the question of the inclusion of the most vulnerable groups in planning, discussions can become more sensitive, especially in urban contexts where the pressure on land and resources is increasing. PfR found creative ways to continue the discussion, finding that focusing on less controversial topics is a good entry point. Once relations with the authorities are well established more complex issues, like land rights and inclusion, gradually can be discussed.

PfR’S KNOWLEDGE AND EVIDENCE BASE

A strong knowledge and evidence base is essential to equip civil society with the resources they need for effective advocacy. The PfR library provides an open access platform to hundreds of publications covering the work of the partners.

In the PfR Library among other materials you can find: 

• Training materials: the four country teams and the regional team of Horn of Africa developed the Integrated Risk Management Advocacy Training Manual and materials 
• Publications like We Bend We Do Not Break; 
• Guidelines: A landscape approach for DRR in 7 steps, Step by Step Guide to Inclusive Resilience, Policy Brief Guidelines 
• Checklist: PfR Indonesia co-developed the generic Integrated Risk Management Law and Policy Checklist, and customized the checklist and workshop materials to the Indonesian context
• Evaluations: Ethiopia Impact study, External End Evaluation
• Educational modules: e.g. Guatemala educational modules
• Research: Conflict Study, Gender review

Films can be found on PfR’s YouTube channel, among others:

• A short video to learn more about PfR’s work
• Building Mangroves in Tacloban, The Philippines
• Communities in Kenya adapt to climate change.

Asia is the largest, most populated and most urbanized continent in the world. It drives the global economy and its political leadership strongly influences global platforms. Yet at least four out of five people affected by disasters between 2000–2018 were in Asia (Asian Development Bank, ADB, 2019). Asia has the largest watersheds, the longest coastlines, and a large number of coastal cities. Civil society is mature and influential and the continent offers successful pilots to learn from and has experienced fundamental shifts that promote locally-driven resilient and empowering action.

IRM REFLECTED IN CLIMATE NEGOTIATION DOCUMENTS 

Due to PfR’s efforts, UNFCCC-related outcome documents, technical papers, COP 25 decision texts at regional fora such as the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change (AWGCC), the UN Climate Conference (SB50) and the Asia Pacific Climate Week all reflect key messages and examples of IRM, ensuring a stronger focus on community resilience, forecast-based financing, scaled-up climate action, and the humanitarian consequences of climate change.

CLIMATE FINANCE INSTITUTIONS ADOPT IRM APPROACHES

By widely advocating for IRM approaches the fruits are now becoming visible. The Asian Development Bank created the locally-operated Community Resilience Partnership Programme, which targets marginalized people. The contingent² disaster financing for natural disasters is in line with PfR’s work on early warning early Action (EWEA) and forecast-based financing (FbF). Furthermore the Green Climate Fund is including EWEA and FbF in its technical discussions.  

STRONGER COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN URBAN WATER RESILIENCE 

Due to both national and regional lobbying and advocacy work, New Urban Agenda plans in Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar are using IRM models. For example, community participation for urban water resilience in the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Plan and in NBS in the Water as Leverage programme in Chennai, India, Semarang, Indonesia, and Khulna in Bangladesh.

INDIA

At least 75 per cent of India is exposed to one or more hazards, especially floods, droughts and cyclones. Climate change has made these disasters more frequent, intense and unpredictable; it has worsened floods, droughts, landslides and heatwaves and caused sea levels to rise, threatening coastal communities. Over the last 50 years, more than half of all disasters were related to water (floods and droughts), affecting almost 17 million people annually (according to the EM-DAT database). Excessive deforestation, poor water management, including the destruction of natural buffers as wetlands, encroachment onto flood plains, and fragmentation of natural water regimes have made communities in rural and urban areas highly vulnerable. Yet India has made significant strides in improving weather forecasts and climate services, nurturing bodies of water, and building local disaster management plans. Civil society is recognized for its huge role in relief, response and reconstruction, and in building local resilience as well as influencing policy through consensus building.

CHANGING MINDSETS AND BUILDING SOCIAL COHESION 

Floods remain a yearly affair in Bihar, especially for communities living within embankments. To reduce vulnerability it is necessary to change mindsets and build social cohesion. PfR brought together community voices by establishing social institutions which have been successful in lobbying with the administration to make funding available for an early warning system, and for reviving wetlands. Resource maps, social maps, and crop and seasonal calendars are regularly drawn up after transect walks with community elders to familiarize them with their situation and to plan accordingly. Real-time data information on peak water-flows is now disseminated by PfR partners to over 200,000 people living in the region. River levels are measured, warning flags are hoisted locally and information is disseminated via WhatsApp. Upstream dam authorities include the information in the water-level monitoring activities of the task forces. In case of high water-levels, community members send out distress signals resulting in the establishment of a community-managed early warning system. Establishing an early warning system involved changing mindsets, and this was achieved by involving affected people, setting up community institutions and strengthening local capacities.

INCLUSIVE RISK-INFORMED GRAM PANCHAYAT DEVELOPMENT PLANS: CHANGE FOR A MORE RESILIENT FUTURE 

The Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) is an essential tool, recognized by the Panchayati Raj department (local government), for enhancing rural development and addressing vulnerabilities of the poor and marginalized. PfR uses the GPDP for mainstreaming IRM measures in local development plans, and conducts hazard vulnerability and capacity assessments (HVCA) to identify gaps, and concerns to be addressed with regard to infrastructure, livelihoods and ecosystems. Because of unequal power relations, certain groups have unequal access to resources and facilities which reduces their capacity to cope with risks. Through the HVCA tools, vulnerable groups have been identified and their vulnerability assessed with regard to physical, social, economic, political and environmental factors. The participatory approach enables communities to voice their opinions and include their ideas within the local development plans. The preparation of the GPDP in itself has been a great learning experience and an opportunity to incorporate risk management measures. This approach enhances involvement in governance by local communities through involvement in the development process. PfR has developed over 50 GPDPs and drafted seven district disaster management plans. The developmental plans are used to leverage resources for implementing risk reduction measures. Between 2011 and 2019, PfR leveraged over 8 million euros. The IRM-informed GPDPs are receiving great recognition and praise from state authorities. A key achievement is that one GPDP was awarded and is now seen as a risk-informed model by other GPs in Gujarat, while another in Bihar has achieved similar status and could be a model in Bihar State.

The PfR Network partners

• Wetlands International South Asia
• Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
• SEEDS
• UNNATI
• CARITAS INDIA
• HARC
• NetCoast
• Indian Red Cross

(Photo: Community consultation in Chitra Nagar, Chennai © Cynthia van Elk / Water as Leverage)

INDONESIA

Indonesia is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. In 2009–2019, nearly 27,000 disaster events struck the islands, most of them hydrometeorological, according to the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB).

In 2018, three major earthquakes hit Lombok, Palu and Banten; they killed 3,094 people, injured 61,000 and led to 249,042 being displaced. Policy transformation on disaster management in Indonesia came to fruition when the House of Representatives passed a new bill relating to disaster management. Law No. 24 in 2007 distributed the governance of disaster management between the central and regional levels and acted as a legal framework to regulate the decentralization of disaster risk governance by establishing two new bodies: the BNPB at the national level and the Regional Disaster Management Authority (BPBD) at the local level.

MULTI-STAKEHOLDERS FORUMS TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT, LIVELIHOODS, AND GUARANTEE FUNDING 

The Watershed Forum, the Disaster Risk Reduction Forum, and the Mangrove Working Group are three platforms engaging government representatives, universities, CSO, business entities, media, and local leaders. Within the partnerships, PfR facilitated training and workshops, and provided technical assistance and coaching on designing and implementing advocacy on policy. The groups were encouraged to take the lead in voicing their concerns to the government. This led to the following outcomes: 

• The Watershed Forum, the Disaster Risk Reduction Forum and PfR succeeded in including watershed management and DRR activities in the official mid-term and annual provincial, district, and village government development plans in East Nusa Tenggara Province. Watershed management is a critical factor in averting natural disasters such as floods. As a result, in 2018 and 2019, 20 villages in Sikka District, East Nusa Tenggara Province, allocated up to 50 per cent of their budgets for watershed management, such as land rehabilitation through planting trees, water spring conservation, rainwater traps and infiltration wells, terracing, and disaster preparedness training.

• The Mangrove Working Group has successfully facilitated the development of regulation of mangrove management in Central Java. It provides a space in the provincial development budget to fund the mangrove management programme, as well as opening up the opportunity for external funding from the private sector to support programme implementation.

• In 2019, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, with the support of PfR, signed a MoU related to the integration of watershed management into spatial planning. This MoU will ensure that all local spatial plans will include consideration of watershed condition and management in planning which, once implemented by local governments, will reduce the impacts of flood, landslide, drought, and extreme weather. 

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND INCREASED GENDER BUDGETS

When PfR started working in the villages in 2016, the gender budget in village plans was very low with no proper gender perspective. A gender training showed local officials (a majority of whom are men) the importance of seeing things through a gender lens and developing gender-sensitive plans by discussing critical questions, such as which resources are controlled by women and men and who is resource rich or poor. This has led to an increased gender budget: in the first year from five to ten per cent of the village plan budget, building up to 20 per cent in the second year and 30 per cent in the third year. Women’s participation in group meetings was supported by meetings in the local language and using drawings to ensure women’s experiences were shared among those who could not read. For example, women’s farming groups get increased support to purchase equipment and seeds during the growing season. The gender budgets have also been used to construct fencing around new water reservoirs to ensure the safety of women and children.

The PfR Network partners

• KARINA
• Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI)
• CIS Timor
• Wetlands International Indonesia
• Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
• CARE Indonesia

(Photo: Urban farming in Marunda, Jakarta © CARE Indonesia)

PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is prone to a range of hazards. On average it experiences 20 typhoons each year, causing flooding, landslides and storm surges that increase risks to urban and rural communities. Its location along the Pacific seismic Ring of Fire makes it susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Philippines is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, facing increased vulnerability due to sea-level rise and water scarcity. Its growing population and unsustainable practices and policies have resulted in deforestation and loss of agricultural land. On top of that, rapid urbanization is generating additional stresses, and it is projected that more than 100 million people will be living in urban areas by 2050 – double the number today. These challenges have ranked the Philippines as the ninth most at-risk country in the world, according to the World Risk Report 2019.

NATIVE TREES AND STABILIZED RIVERBANKS IN CAGAYAN DE ORO RIVER BASIN

Deforestation of the watersheds of Agusan river and other major river basins in the Philippines poses risks of landslides and flooding to communities living downstream. To address them, the IRM approach was demonstrated in the Agusan basin. Following the outcomes of the landscape risk assessment and capacity strengthening exercises, nature-based solutions were piloted by farmers in Talacogon and Monkayo at the start of 2016. The solutions included planting native trees at intervals on the slope, and planting grasses and trees to stabilize the river bank. In the past few years, the trees planted have grown successfully and erosion has halted. This approach has been taken forward and is now being combined with investments from Payment for Ecosystem Services in Cagayan de Oro River Basin through the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council. The approaches tested in these localities now serve as models for transformative ecosystem restoration. More information can be found here.

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: THE WASTE WARRIORS OF BARANGAY POTRERO, MALABON CITY 

Solid waste management is critical in congested, hazard-prone cities. The interconnectedness of ecosystem degradation, disasters, and climate change has not been fully appreciated, and poor urban communities were typically seen as polluters and part of the problem. The experience of Potrero, a flood-prone village in Malabon City, highlights the link between waste management, the cleaning of water flows, and flooding, and how communities are vital to the solution. Through training, community members and partners in local government developed a deeper appreciation of how ecosystem management and restoration helps to address flooding, and why community participation is key. In 2015, the local government improved their solid waste management practices and hired informal waste-sector workers for the Waste Warriors, a group formed to implement solid waste management on the ground. That same year, Potrero won the Best Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Committee and the Best in Solid Waste Management awards from the national government. Today, the Waste Warriors employ 40 collectors and 15 monitors. Improving waste management has reduced the impacts caused by floods in the Potrero community, likely reduced pollution of water sources, and reduced microplastics in water and fish. In January 2020, Maridel Barbin, Waste Warriors head, community leader, and DRR council member, served as a spokesperson on community-based disaster risk reduction during a senate hearing on a bill creating a separate Department of Disaster Resilience.

The PfR Network partners

• Wetlands international Philippines
• CORDAID the Philippines
• Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
• CARE Philippine
• Philippines Red Cross
• ACCORD
• Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council
• Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities
• HIPADA: the Hinatuan Passage Development Alliance 
• Diocesan Social Action Center Malolos
• East West Seeds Philippines
• Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits
• HIPPE: Hinatuan Passage Partnership for People Empowerment 

(Photo: Philippine Red Cross volunteer engaging in vulnerability and capacity assessment in Poctoy Surigao City © CARE / Makmende Media)

GUATEMALA

Guatemala is a multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual country, with an estimated population of 15 million people, rich in natural resources. It is also highly vulnerable to extreme weather events and climate change. This is causing cycles of droughts and floods that affect the quality of life of its population, especially those already living in poverty, and increase their vulnerability. The economic cost of disasters also is high: disasters have caused an average loss of 362m euros per year over the past 12 years, according to Economic Commission for Latin America.

GENDER, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN MUNICIPAL AND TERRITORIAL PLANS

In line with the 2030 United Nations Agenda, the Guatemalan government developed the KATUN National Development Plan, to reduce poverty and to sustain development. Under this, the Presidential Secretariat for Planning and Programming (SEGEPLAN), with technical and financial support of Partners for Resilience, developed the Methodological Guidelines for the Preparation of Municipal Development Plans and Territorial Land-Use Planning in Guatemala. Based on PfR experience, SEGEPLAN incorporates gender, ecosystem management and restoration, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into planning municipal development and land use. This guarantees that these topics at the heart of the IRM approach will be integrated in municipal and territorial planning across, in turn strengthening the resilience of communities.

LOCAL VOICES INCLUDED IN DEVELOPMENT PLANS

Since 2010 SEGEPLAN promoted the preparation of municipal development plans with the participation of local actors. In the past there was no proper representation by or consultation with local actors by municipal authorities and their technical teams. SEGEPLAN decided to update the municipal plans with the participation of local actors and the inclusion of territorial land-use planning. PfR provided input to the training manual for municipalities and technical assistance on the IRM approach. SEGEPLAN developed and implemented a national strategy to disseminate the guidelines and methodology for the plans with the participation of the private sector, CSO, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and government specialists. One factor in this success are municipal round tables. Nationwide there are 257 municipal development plans approved and implemented; SEGEPLAN continues supporting all 340 municipalities to have updated plans approved and implemented.

The PfR Network partners

• CARE Guatemala
• Wetlands International Guatemala
• Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
• Cruz Roja Guatemalteca
• Caritas Zacapa

(Photo: Risk and vulnerability analysis exercise of the Municipality of Salamá, Baja Verapaz, during a workshop with SEGEPLAN planning specialists © CARE Guatemala)

HAITI

Haiti is one of the countries in the world most exposed to natural hazards. The population is increasingly vulnerable to climate change, environmental degradation and unplanned development, especially in urban areas. The country is subject to a variety of hazards, including earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, flash floods and drought. Significant environmental degradation caused by unsustainable exploitation of forests, soil, water, minerals and coastal waters makes the Haitian people highly vulnerable to shocks and climate change. This degradation reduces the country’s ability to absorb the effects of extreme weather events. The country is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, with a GDP per capita of 662 euros in 2019 and a human development index of 169 out of 189 nations. Social and political instability and constant disasters continue to hamper Haiti’s economic and social development.

RESILIENCE IS HAVING ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Agronomy student Jacky Dolcé has seen the dramatic effects of regular flooding on the people living and farming in Haiti’s Artibonite river basin. It is expected that in the next ten years there will be an increase in climate-related events, including river and coastal floods as well as cyclones and wildfires. Through the Open Street Mapping database and satellite imagery, PfR is creating a detailed map of flood risks in the Artibonite basin. Information technologies are crucial for better flood risk assessments and will be used by the meteorology and civil protection departments of the government and other organizations working in disaster management. Jacky participated in the Open Street Map and Mapathon training organized by PfR. He is also learning how to better manage the basin’s changing environment and natural resources and enhance the resilience of farmers. Young people like Jacky are at the forefront of the response to disastrous floods impacting Artibonite communities, where resilience means mastering technologies to better assess flood risk.

YOUTH AS THE AGENT OF CHANGE

The youth of the cities of Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien and the Tiburon commune are important change agents, working on waste management in their neighbourhood, for example. Port-au-Prince is a densely populated capital city exposed to natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. Since 2015, through the PfR programme, capacities of the Haiti Red Cross youth have been strengthened through IRM training. The focus was on the mobilizing and training of young people in dialogue and actions to protect the environment and in climate adaptation. Marie Bacheline, a volunteer and coordinator of Red Cross youth at the local committee of the Red Cross Delmas was trained in Y-Adapt and now uses her new skills now to mobilize young volunteers and implement concrete action plans with them. A doctor by training, Marie decided to develop and make use of her leadership skills, putting herself at the service of others. “I think it is really important to get involved in society, in the community where we live, and I manage to do this through the Haiti Red Cross,” she says. Today, she continues to coordinate young people, engaging them in waste management around public buildings and in awareness raising of COVID-19 protection. In the coastal village Tiburon young people presented their climate change adaptation plan to the mayor and set up their own nursery and reforested eroded slopes in the area to mitigate erosion and flood risk.

The PfR Network partners

• Croix-Rouge Haitienne
• Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

(Photo: Resilience is having access to information  © Haiti Red Cross)

Partners for Resilience is active in four countries in the Horn of Africa: Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. The region faces economic instability, political turmoil and climate change that have huge effects on both crops and livestock, resulting in climate-driven migration and conflict. Other challenges include inadequate market access, especially for the pastoralist community, youth unemployment, and food insecurity. Rapid urbanization and state action to restrict the operations of national and international agencies has further complicated life for the vulnerable populations. 

THE AFRICAN UNION’S CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY INCORPORATED COMPONENTS OF IRM 

Through consistent policy engagement consisting of a year-long advocacy effort, the Horn of Africa PfR team got components of IRM included within the African Union climate change strategy. A springboard for this process was the push for the integration of IRM in the African position paper during the 2019 Global Platform in Geneva. This is a major step towards shaping the region’s future climate resilience measures, contributing to increased resilience of communities. 

INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT 

PfR has developed an investment database which provides wetlands management plans, and risk-sensitive investment plans for three transboundary wetlands; Sango Bay–Minziro (Kenya and Tanzania), Sio–Siteko (Kenya and Uganda), and Semiliki (Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). These have been reviewed and accepted by the technical advisers from Nile basin treaty member states. Additionally, the German government and the Nile basin initiative have committed to finance the implementation of community investment plans. PfR’s investment database provides solid evidence to support the lobbying and advocacy work on risk-sensitive investments.

MALI

At least 45 per cent of people in Mali live below the poverty-line threshold of US$ 1.90 a day, defined by the World Bank. All regions have been impacted by food insecurity due to the 2012 conflict and associated displacement. The main sectors of Mali’s economy are gold mining and agriculture, and it is vulnerable to price fluctuations. Crops are mainly rain-fed and pastoral farming is widespread. Floods and droughts are increasing in frequency and pose a growing threat to economic development and livelihoods. Climate change, population growth and environmental degradation are the main causes of increased disaster risk. Partners for Resilience worked with rural populations in Niger, Sourou and Senegal river basins, whose combined population is almost 2 million people – farmers, pastoralists and fishermen, among the most vulnerable communities and often hit hardest by floods and droughts.

COALITIONS ENSURE SOCIAL COHESION 

The Sourou, Inner Niger Delta, and Senegal basins are characterized by an abundance of grass-roots organizations with diverging interests, often lobbying the same decision-makers. Motivated by the ideas Walking alone in a fight is not productive and United we move forward, the Sourou, Inner Niger Delta, and Senegal basin populations unified their efforts and aligned interests. Supported by PfR they thought of ways to better organize themselves, which led to the formation of 130 coalitions comprising just over 700 community-based organizations of farmers, fishermen, pastoralists. Several factors contributed to this success: the effectiveness of administrative procedures, the inclusive nature of the approach, the commitment of members, the support of communities, and the relevance of the integrated risk management approach. The model of coalitions contributes to local development, regulating life in society and ensuring social cohesion to save lives. Furthermore, as community groups with different interests are now working together, the risk of conflict has been reduced.

RESILIENCE MEANS ACCESS TO LAND 

Fanta Bocoum is a 41-year-old mother of four living in Ouenkoro, in the Sourou Basin. She is one of the many women that PfR supported with resilient livelihoods. When Fanta became a widow, she was forced to abandon her land. This made her particularly vulnerable as land is the main means of food production. As droughts are expected to increase in frequency in the next decade, access to land will guarantee various underlying rights, such as the use and control of food and non-food resources. A lack of access to land for Fanta equals a lack of control over her family’s well-being. Through PfR, Fanta got involved in a women’s union and a community coalition that has been trained to advocate for land tenure. Fanta lobbied elected officials, traditional chiefs and landowners for changes to tenure and the allocation of land to women. “The land is everything to us. Without it, we cannot live,” she says. The mayor, landlord and the sub-prefect in her district then signed an agreement to transfer property to Fanta and other women supported by PfR in Ouenkoro. Now Fanta is an inspiration to many and is determined to continue her efforts. “I’m using my voice, and it’s working,” she said. In Fanta’s community, resilience means that women have rightful ownership of land. Watch this short film with Fanta.

The PfR Network partners

• Croix-Rouge Malienne
• Wetlands International Sahel
• CARE Mali
• Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

(Photo: Fulani woman selling milk in the Sourou basin © CORDAID)

WORKING ACROSS LEVELS

Collaboration between countries and across scales is needed to address cross-border issues of climate change, ecosystem management and disaster risk reduction. Ensuring that national and international policy-makers understand what happens in communities, and that local voices are included in the international debate on development is essential to bridge gaps and to make interventions more impactive. This twin orientation feeds practical experiences from countries up to regional and global levels, and conversely supports the implementation of global commitments at regional and country levels.

Country exchanges

In 2018 six of the ten PfR countries – Uganda, Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Guatemala and India – hosted exchange visits involving PfR staff and local partners, along with national and local CSO and government representatives. The main purpose of the visits was to promote mutual learning and exchange new ideas for enhancing policy dialogues and capacity strengthening, between key local CSOs and government, and to provide an opportunity for light-touch reflection. More details can be found in this multimedia report.

Bridging global developments to the local level in rural India

The Organization for Development Education (UNNATI) has been working in dry and water-scarce Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat since 1989. It has been a valuable partner of the PfR alliance by embracing ideas for better disaster risk management at the policy level. At the same time, it benefited from PfR knowledge after consultations on the Sendai Framework. In the Kutch district of Gujarat, where rainfall is getting more and more unpredictable, PfR inspired UNNATI to promote risk-informed development plans at the local level and to adopt a participatory approach in designing them. Through consultations with local government and communities, annual and five-year plans were created under the Gram Panchayat (local government) Development Planning process, laying out priorities for DRR.

Ensuring local voices are heard at the Africa-Arab Regional Platform for DRR

At the Africa-Arab Regional Platform for DRR in Tunis in 2018, PfR facilitated a dialogue that identified opportunities in the implementation of the Sendai Target E – to substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020. PfR presented an IRM gap analysis on the state of DRR strategy development in the Horn of Africa. Through field experiences in policy and strategy development, governments were motivated to push the implementation of Target E, while the African Union pledged to work with PfR on implementing it at regional level.

Uganda: from local to global

Kelle was just a child in 1986 when an attack from Karamojong pastoralists forced her and her family to flee from her home in the Lango region to a camp for displaced people. When Kelle’s community returned to their village the once-lush landscape around it had changed. The community had resorted to negative coping strategies like charcoal-making. PfR trained the community on the importance of preserving the swamps and planting trees, and Kelle is now a courageous and strong-willed 40-year-old farmer who grows rice and cassava. But the threat of climate change requires a concerted effort and national will. In consultations about Uganda’s climate change bill, PfR shared the experience of Kelle and her community in dealing with droughts. PfR lobbied for the bill to include gender as a priority and to ensure sustainable use of forests and wetlands, and now global and local knowledge are combined in the bill.

(Photo: Uganda Painting shows the work across levels; different stakeholders are involved in consultations on the Climate Change Bill © PfR)

URBAN RESILIENCE IS A GROWING CHALLENGE

Urbanization is on the rise in many parts of the world: by 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in an urban environment, and the 600 major cities in the world are expected to provide 60 per cent of global GDP. Uncontrolled urban growth concentrates in low- and lower-middle income countries in Africa and Asia, and consists mainly of informal and unrecognized settlements. Uncontrolled urban growth creates pressure on the natural environment, which increases the risk or impacts of disasters like flooding, landslides and droughts, as well as heatwaves, particularly affecting vulnerable groups. PfR is addressing urban resilience specifically in Asia.

Working with multi-stakeholders alliance to strengthen urban resilience

In the Philippines, PfR works with multi-stakeholder alliances in Manila Bay, Guiuan, and Tacloban to build communities’ resilience to climate and disaster shocks.

• To guide the future growth of Manila Bay, the Philippines and Netherlands governments are developing the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan. As part of a Dutch team of experts, PfR Philippines advocates for the integration of local voices, as well as social and environmental safeguards within the plan. Watch the movie Voices from Manila Bay to learn more.
• After Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) devastated Tacloban in 2013, people realized that long-term strategies are needed for greater resilience. Restoring mangroves is one intervention to mitigate the impact of typhoons. To prevent disasters and loss of livelihoods, natural protection is being restored. Watch Building Mangroves in Tacloban to learn how local people contribute to mangrove restoration.
• Guiuan was also hit hard by Typhoon Haiyan, which left a lasting impact on the community and its natural resources. Guiuan is vulnerable not just to typhoons and other extreme-weather events but also to the impacts of climate change, salt-water intrusion and sea-level rise. As a community, Guiuan recognizes that climate action is necessary to protect development sustainably. The story of Guiuan is captured in Guiuan, a resilient island.

Water as leverage for resilient cities in Asia

To tackle urban water-related challenges in an innovative and inclusive way, the Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities programme was created, aiming to propel Asian cities (and the world) towards climate resilience by delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. The programme includes Chennai (India), Khulna (Bangladesh) and Semarang (Indonesia) and is founded by Henk Ovink, Netherlands Special Envoy for International Water Affairs. PfR is an advisory board member and knowledge partner, working closely in Chennai and Semarang with CSO, communities, designers and other stakeholders to ensure that all voices are included, and that plans align and leverage local, provincial and national policies.

Urban heat and flood risk in India

Heatwaves are an increasing climate risk in India, severely affecting vulnerable urban populations. PfR is improving the capacity of these populations to access and utilize heatwave information through heatwave flash mobs that directly target the vulnerable, especially people who work outside in markets and parks and even Delhi airport. They convey simple but life-saving messages. An instructional video was produced. Heatwaves are surprisingly deadly, killing thousands of people every year. The science is clear: heatwaves are getting worse because of climate change, but they can be forecast days or weeks in advance and action can be taken. Cities can also implement NBS, such as urban wetlands, to reduce urban heat island effects. PfR developed useful resources to ensure heat preparedness in urban areas, like podcasts, a City Heat Guide and an urban wetlands guide.

References and Supplemental Materials:
City Heatwave Guide,
City Heatwave Guide for Red Cross and Red Crescent Branches, 
Appendix on managing extreme heat and COVID-19.