How do you foster adaptive capacity and resilience in vulnerable communities and sectors?

1 Assess vulnerability and exposure

The first step is to understand the sources and dimensions of vulnerability and exposure in your context. Vulnerability is the degree to which a system or group is susceptible to harm from a stressor, such as a hazard, a policy, or a social norm. Exposure is the extent to which a system or group is subject to the stressor. You can use various tools and methods, such as vulnerability assessments, risk mapping, participatory scenarios, and stakeholder analysis, to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable and exposed groups and sectors, as well as their drivers, indicators, and impacts.

2 Engage and empower stakeholders

The second step is to engage and empower the stakeholders who are affected by or have influence over the adaptation and transformation process. Stakeholders are the individuals, groups, organizations, or institutions that have a stake or interest in the outcome of a decision or action. You can use various techniques and platforms, such as workshops, surveys, focus groups, online forums, and social media, to communicate, consult, collaborate, and co-create with the stakeholders. The goal is to build trust, legitimacy, ownership, and accountability among the stakeholders, as well as to recognize and address their needs, preferences, values, and rights.

3 Enhance adaptive governance

The third step is to enhance adaptive governance, which is the ability of governance systems to adapt to changing circumstances and learn from feedback. Governance systems are the formal and informal rules, norms, institutions, and processes that shape how decisions are made and implemented. You can use various approaches and mechanisms, such as adaptive management, adaptive policies, adaptive co-management, and adaptive networks, to foster adaptive governance. The aim is to increase flexibility, diversity, collaboration, learning, and innovation in governance systems, as well as to reduce uncertainty, complexity, and conflict.

4 Promote adaptive actions

The fourth step is to promote adaptive actions, which are the actions that communities and sectors take to cope with, adjust to, or transform in response to changing conditions and shocks. Adaptive actions can be reactive or proactive, incremental or transformative, technical or behavioral, individual or collective, and short-term or long-term. You can use various frameworks and models, such as adaptive pathways, adaptive cycles, adaptive resilience, and adaptive leadership, to guide and support adaptive actions. The objective is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and sustainability of adaptive actions, as well as to monitor and evaluate their outcomes and impacts.

5 Leverage adaptive resources

The fifth step is to leverage adaptive resources, which are the resources that communities and sectors use or access to enable or enhance their adaptive capacity and resilience. Adaptive resources can be natural, human, social, financial, physical, or institutional. You can use various strategies and instruments, such as resource mobilization, resource allocation, resource management, resource sharing, and resource protection, to leverage adaptive resources. The purpose is to increase the availability, accessibility, quality, diversity, and resilience of adaptive resources, as well as to avoid or minimize trade-offs, costs, and risks.

6 Foster adaptive culture

The sixth step is to foster adaptive culture, which is the culture that shapes and reflects the attitudes, beliefs, values, norms, and behaviors of communities and sectors towards adaptation and transformation. Culture can be a source of strength or weakness, opportunity or constraint, continuity or change for adaptive capacity and resilience. You can use various methods and practices, such as storytelling, art, education, media, rituals, and celebrations, to foster adaptive culture. The goal is to create a shared vision, identity, and purpose for adaptation and transformation, as well as to inspire, motivate, and empower communities and sectors to act.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?