Page 56 - Respond 2016 Magazine
P. 56

resilience








       turning water




       security




       risk into an                                                             Global Resilience Partnership (GRP)
                                                                                               By Dr Luca Alinovi
                                                                                               Executive Director
       opportunity                                                            www.globalresiliencepartnership.org




       for all











       Almost three quarters of the world is covered in water, yet for
       many individuals and businesses across the globe, water security
       – access to a clean and consistent supply of potable water –
       remains a daily concern.




       As many of you visiting COP 22 will know, water security is a highly complex issue driven
       by three core factors: water scarcity, governance and transboundary access. Outside of
       these sit a further range of variables which impact water security, spanning biophysical,
       infrastructural, political, social, institutional and financial issues. The result is that something
       many of us take for granted becomes a highly volatile and heavily politicised commodity.

       The impact cannot be underestimated. Water is not only central to sustaining livelihoods
       and human well-being but also key to socio-economic development. Without practicing
       water security uncertainty thrives, with vulnerable communities unable to plan for the future
       and make the most of their potential.


       Making a difference
       However, there is no reason why we can’t harness innovative thinking and business backing   The Global Resilience
       to make quick strides forward. This year the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) launched   Partnership (GRP),
       the Water Window Challenge, backed by a US$10 million commitment from the Z Zurich   convened with US$150
       Foundation to tackle another water based issue – flooding. The initiative sourced intelligent   million by The Rockefeller
       applications for funding from organisations of all sizes from across the globe who believed   Foundation, USAID and
       they had a resilience-based solution to flooding issues.
                                                                                   Sida plans to help millions

       More than 200 entrants are being whittled down to 10 winners, all of whom will be   of vulnerable people in
       awarded either US$ 250,000 in seed funding, or US$ 1 million in scale-up grant funding   the Sahel, the Horn of
       to implement their bold, innovative plans to build resilience. Instead of prioritising   Africa and South East Asia
       emergency response and funding a disaster-respond-repeat cycle, the GRP is investing   better adapt to shocks and
       in these projects to help communities flourish in the face of extreme unpredictability.
       We hope the impact will be both inspirational and rapid. Our ambition will be to, after   chronic stresses and thrive
       18 months of testing, scale up further the most successful solutions and implement our   in a more resilient future.
       learnings as widely as possible.


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