Global Resilience Partnership
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| Global Resilience Partnership | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Resilience Partnership |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Founders | Rockefeller Foundation; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency; USAID |
| Focus | Resilience, climate adaptation, humanitarian innovation |
Global Resilience Partnership The Global Resilience Partnership is a multi-stakeholder initiative launched in 2015 to accelerate resilience solutions for populations affected by climate change, conflict, and chronic vulnerability. The Partnership brings together philanthropic institutions, multilateral agencies, national ministries, research institutes, and civil society actors to support localized innovation and scale-up across diverse contexts. The initiative coordinates with international frameworks, regional programs, and academic networks to integrate evidence, finance, and policy for resilient development.
Overview
The Partnership convenes stakeholders including the Rockefeller Foundation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, United States Agency for International Development, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and leading research bodies to mobilize action in fragile settings. It operates across geographic regions such as the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, engaging partners like International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, OXFAM, CARE International, Mercy Corps, and academic centers including London School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stockholm Resilience Centre, and International Institute for Environment and Development. The Partnership aims to bridge applied research from institutions such as CGIAR, International Water Management Institute, and C40 Cities with policy uptake by actors like African Union, European Commission, and national ministries.
History and formation
Conceived in the aftermath of high-profile climate events and humanitarian crises, the Partnership emerged following strategic dialogues among the Rockefeller Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and government donors including United Kingdom Department for International Development and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Launch events involved representatives from World Economic Forum, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Early pilot initiatives drew on expertise from United States Agency for International Development missions, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and research programs at Stanford University and University of Oxford. The formation phase emphasized cross-sectoral approaches similar to collaborations among Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, and regional development banks such as the African Development Bank.
Governance and organizational structure
Governance arrangements combine a steering board with representation from philanthropic actors like Rockefeller Foundation and donor states such as Sweden and United States, technical advisory groups including experts from Stockholm Resilience Centre, International Institute for Environment and Development, Princeton University, and operational partners like Mercy Corps and OXFAM. Secretariat functions have been hosted in partnership with institutions in Stockholm and coordinated with liaison offices at United Nations Office for Project Services and World Bank hubs. Decision-making processes reference accountability standards used by Charity Commission for England and Wales, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidance, and monitoring frameworks employed by United Nations Development Programme. The structure supports thematic working groups on agriculture, water, health, and urban resilience involving actors such as CGIAR, International Water Management Institute, World Health Organization, and ICLEI.
Programs and initiatives
Programmatic work has included resilience accelerators, challenge funds, and knowledge platforms that partnered with CGIAR research programs, International Livestock Research Institute, International Food Policy Research Institute, and city networks like C40 Cities. Initiatives supported pilots on climate-smart agriculture with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-linked programs, nature-based solutions aligned with United Nations Environment Programme, and shock-responsive social protection linked to International Labor Organization and World Bank social protection initiatives. The Partnership ran XChange-style knowledge exchanges with Stockholm Resilience Centre, funded innovation labs similar to Humanitarian Innovation Fund, and co-created toolkits with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and Sendai Framework stakeholders. Capacity-building collaborations involved universities such as University of Nairobi, Makerere University, University of Cape Town, and technical partners including Esri and Microsoft.
Funding and partnerships
Core funders have included philanthropic institutions like the Rockefeller Foundation, national donors such as Sweden and Norway, and bilateral agencies including United States Agency for International Development and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The Partnership leveraged co-financing from multilateral entities such as the World Bank and private sector partners including corporations affiliated with World Economic Forum initiatives and impact investors linked to Global Impact Investing Network. Strategic research partnerships engaged CGIAR, International Institute for Environment and Development, Stockholm Resilience Centre, and university consortia with grants from foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Ford Foundation. Implementation partners ranged from international NGOs like OXFAM and CARE International to regional bodies such as the African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Impact and evaluations
Independent evaluations and case studies by research centers including Overseas Development Institute, Institute of Development Studies, Stockholm Environment Institute, and universities such as University of Oxford documented outcomes in livelihoods resilience, drought preparedness, and urban risk reduction across pilot sites in the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and South Asia. Reports highlighted links to improvements in crop diversification informed by CGIAR varietal research, enhanced early warning systems using approaches championed by World Meteorological Organization, and social protection linkages consistent with World Bank programming. Learning briefs circulated through platforms such as ReliefWeb, Humanitarian Practice Network, and academic journals represented by Nature Climate Change and Global Environmental Change assessed scalability and policy uptake by national ministries and regional commissions.
Criticism and challenges
Critiques from think tanks and civil society groups including Oxfam International-affiliated analysts, Transparency International-linked commentators, and scholars at London School of Economics and University of California, Berkeley focused on issues of donor dependency, accountability to marginalized communities, and the complexity of scaling localized innovations. Operational challenges cited by evaluations included coordination frictions with multilateral systems like United Nations Development Programme and World Bank, metric harmonization difficulties with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development standards, and political constraints in fragile states involving actors such as African Union and national defense establishments. Debates continue in policy forums hosted by United Nations entities, World Economic Forum, and academic conferences at Stockholm Resilience Centre and International Institute for Environment and Development about sustainability, funding predictability, and equitable governance.