Page 56 - Respond 2016 Magazine

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.

54 www.rtcc.org