ODI and the Center for Climate Security's new programme aims to pave the way from crisis response to climate-resilient development in fragile and conflict-affected areas.

People affected by fragility, conflict and violence face overlapping risks, including greater disaster and climate risks and food insecurity. They are less resilient and less able to adapt or respond to shocks. In fragile and conflict-affected environments, a drought or flood can quickly become a human security disaster.

But while the role of fragility and conflict in increasing climate, disaster and food security risks is clear, understanding how best to manage these risks is not. There remains a significant knowledge gap on how to best help vulnerable communities manage the compound impacts of climate change, conflict and fragility. At the same time, actors working in different areas remain uncoordinated and siloed, including in humanitarian aid, development, disaster risk management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The complex, compound nature of risks in fragile and conflict-affected areas requires a new way of working: one which integrates climate change, disaster risk reduction, and resilience planning into humanitarian thinking and action, and in which humanitarian, development, climate and peacebuilding actors work more closely together on shared goals and a long-term view. This research-to-practice programme, established by ODI and the Center for Climate Security (CCS), aims to support actors working in conflict-affected areas to move beyond ‘coping with crises’, and to work together on building climate-resilient development.

More information can be found by reading the below publications: