STRATEGY 2020-25
Activities
Spotlight on ten examples of activities
Throughout the strategy development process GNDR members identified various activities that will take us towards our three goals.
Some relate to previous work that has taken place and some are fresh ideas for which fundraising will be required.
Members have suggested that the Secretariat coordinate some of these activities. Members themselves will take forward a number of activities in line with the new strategy at the regional, national and local levels.
Here is a look at a small sample of ten of the proposed activities.
A decade to get it done
There are 10 years left to achieve the ambitious goals of the SDGs, SFDRR and Paris Agreement. Yet many challenges stand in the way of the world collectively reaching these goals.
As a network we will identify some of the biggest challenges preventing successful risk-informed development. These may include:
- How do you build resilience of communities on the move?
- As megacities grow, how can we strive for risk-informed development in informal settlements?
- How can we effectively utilise ecosystems to protect the most marginalised from emerging and increasing threats?
- How can we reduce disaster risk without the presence of a stable government, as is common in conflict-torn states?
We will undertake local action research around these intractable challenges, tapping into members’ experience and connecting CSOs with universities to create regional incubators for knowledge creation. We plan to add to our current Cookbook range with the outcomes of this research.
Views from the Frontline
We are passionate about bringing local voices to national and international conversations. As such, for the last 10 years we have been collecting local perspectives on risk and resilience and sharing this disaggregated data with the world.
In 2019 we surveyed 100,000 people and this research will inform local actions, national plans, and global monitoring. Read the most Views from the Frontline recent data, stories and findings.
Evidence festivals
There is such a wealth of stories, data, and insights inside communities and grassroots organisations. Yet all too often this is left sitting on shelves.
National and international actors crave this evidence to help them design more tailored, and therefore more effective, risk-informed development. We want to showcase this local evidence in festivals to bring it into the public domain.
These events may have different themes year-to-year, including eco-DRR, women’s voices, or urban risk perspectives, and use different virtual, online and offline formats.
Innovative solutions bank
On our Community Platform, members will be able to deposit a new approach for others to withdraw, adapt and replicate. Each year we may focus on one of our six risk drivers, such as food and water insecurity, urbanisation or gender inequality.
Local institutional strengthening
Many donors want to fund local CSOs as part of the localisation agenda. However, these funding institutions often require accountability mechanisms that many small organisations do not have the structures to fulfil.
GNDR will support institutional strengthening of members, including through webinars on accessing and managing grants, mentorships on gender mainstreaming, and personalised training on other organisational needs. Part of strengthening is to increase visibility as the world needs to hear more about the work of local civil society organisations and their positive impact on communities most at risk.
We will highlight specific community projects from different members, raising awareness of potential partners and funding institutions. We will also support members to increase their profile by creating a strong GNDR identity and brand that helps build credibility. locally, nationally and internationally.
A seat at the humanitarian table
We want to make sure that risk is not created or exacerbated by any action. Instead we want to see all actions actively building resilience. This is critically important in the aftermath of a disaster.
The mechanisms to design response and recovery all too often exclude local CSOs, and yet it is these actors who can provide insights on community realities, including how to ensure humanitarian interventions strengthen the longer-term resilience of livelihoods and buildings.
GNDR will endeavour to connect local CSOs to humanitarian coordination mechanisms, helping them get a seat at the table.
National coordination meetings
In order for members to align actions and advocacy, GNDR has been supporting meetings for GNDR members to get together in their countries. We will continue supporting these national coordination meetings and help members use them to share skills gained through our other activities.
Community exchanges
What can a CSO from one region learn from a CSO in another region around preventing losses in lives, livelihoods and assets? Continuing from our first set of south-south exchanges held in 2018, the network would like to hold further immersive opportunities for members to learn from each other’s contexts and work.
This could include exchanges between communities most at risk from different parts of the world that share the challenge of water scarcity, or two communities trying to build the resilience of people who have been internally displaced.
Member match
There is a huge variety of organisations in GNDR, ranging from large INGOs to grassroots organisations. We want to connect likeminded members who complement each other’s strengths.
We will hold face-to-face events and create online spaces for INGOs to identify local partners in the areas they work, for community-based organisations to find institutions with necessary resources, and for national NGOs to find new regional networks to join.
Campaign for local leadership
With over 1,200 members across over 120 countries, we are able to mobilise a movement of people to highlight the financial and social benefits of shifting responsibilities and funds for risk-informed development to local organisations
We will utilise joint advocacy skills, produce shared campaign materials, and maximise our position at national, regional and international events to bring about change. We will particularly empower youth to lead the way in these campaigns.