On Resilience
The concept of resilience is emerging as a leading international policy agenda amidst the awareness that traditional aid models to address disaster, conflict and fragility have not produced intended results. The increasing adoption of the concept raises critical questions about its added value and potential contributions to development and peace outcomes. I am particularly interested in two issues: 1) the concept’s potential to create space for genuine dialogue around endogenous capacities and the appropriate roles of international actors in conflict affected and fragile contexts; and, 2) how the awareness of complexity and complex adaptive systems shifts thinking and generates opportunities to better engage stakeholders at all levels in transformative processes of social change.
My work in this area has been driven by policy and practice engagement with organisations working on resilience - notably UNICEF, UNDP and Interpeace, which the below publications reflect.
My work in this area has been driven by policy and practice engagement with organisations working on resilience - notably UNICEF, UNDP and Interpeace, which the below publications reflect.
Assessing Resilience for Peacebuilding – Executive Summary
with Graeme Simpson, Interpeace, 2015
This document offers a critical review of resilience and the evolving approaches related to its assessment and measurement. It explores how a resilience approach can inform peacebuilding, and conversely, how a peacebuilding perspective can support and strengthen the evolving resilience agenda. The publication can be downloaded for free here.
with Graeme Simpson, Interpeace, 2015
This document offers a critical review of resilience and the evolving approaches related to its assessment and measurement. It explores how a resilience approach can inform peacebuilding, and conversely, how a peacebuilding perspective can support and strengthen the evolving resilience agenda. The publication can be downloaded for free here.
Capacity Development and Resilience
with Frauke de Weijer
In Capacity Development: Beyond Aid
Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), 2015
Resilience is associated with the capacity of individuals, groups and society as a whole to cope, adapt, and transform in the face of man-made and natural shocks. Resilience is being used in the areas of food security, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as peacebuilding and statebuilding. The concept of resilience is already impacting policy at the highest levels. This chapter, in a web-based book, aims to capture and build on key lessons from the last two decades of research and practice in the field of capacity development. It suggests how to apply these lessons in the emerging resilience agenda. The publication can be downloaded for free here.
with Frauke de Weijer
In Capacity Development: Beyond Aid
Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), 2015
Resilience is associated with the capacity of individuals, groups and society as a whole to cope, adapt, and transform in the face of man-made and natural shocks. Resilience is being used in the areas of food security, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as peacebuilding and statebuilding. The concept of resilience is already impacting policy at the highest levels. This chapter, in a web-based book, aims to capture and build on key lessons from the last two decades of research and practice in the field of capacity development. It suggests how to apply these lessons in the emerging resilience agenda. The publication can be downloaded for free here.
Tackling and Preventing Ebola while Building Peace and Societal Resilience
Erin McCandless and Nicolas Bouchet (Editors)
Civil Society Platform on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS), 2015
The study examines the recent Ebola crisis, reflecting on the impacts and priorities for recovery and future crisis prevention, through a peacebuilding lens. It reflects on the issues through the framework of the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States – as the three primarily affected countries are members of this global policy dialogue process. This report offers civil society analysis on priorities for responding to Ebola on the one hand, and preventing future outbreaks, and strengthening peacebuilding and statebuilding foundations in ways that can address and prevent crises more broadly, on the other. The report is the result of the research and analysis work of the CSPPS Country Teams in Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Sierra Leone, DRC and Nigeria, with research and editorial oversight by Erin McCandless, with the support of Nicolas Bouchet - also authors of the report Introduction. Its findings are feeding into key policy and strategic planning processes in the Manu River Union and within the country Ebola national recovery plans. The publication can be downloaded here.
Erin McCandless and Nicolas Bouchet (Editors)
Civil Society Platform on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS), 2015
The study examines the recent Ebola crisis, reflecting on the impacts and priorities for recovery and future crisis prevention, through a peacebuilding lens. It reflects on the issues through the framework of the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States – as the three primarily affected countries are members of this global policy dialogue process. This report offers civil society analysis on priorities for responding to Ebola on the one hand, and preventing future outbreaks, and strengthening peacebuilding and statebuilding foundations in ways that can address and prevent crises more broadly, on the other. The report is the result of the research and analysis work of the CSPPS Country Teams in Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Sierra Leone, DRC and Nigeria, with research and editorial oversight by Erin McCandless, with the support of Nicolas Bouchet - also authors of the report Introduction. Its findings are feeding into key policy and strategic planning processes in the Manu River Union and within the country Ebola national recovery plans. The publication can be downloaded here.
Fostering Resilience in Situation of Conflict and Fragility Outcome Document
Outcome document from an Experts Roundtable co-organized by UNDP, UNICEF, InterPeace,
and the Rockefeller Foundation, NY, 2014
Resilience is becoming increasingly recognised as a key concept and policy instrument in humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding discourses. This document reflects key outcomes and messages drawn from the Expert Roundtable on Resilience, co-organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Interpeace, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Participants of the roundtable focused in particular on perspectives of resilience in fragile and conflict-affected situations and explored the rich history of resilience across disciplines, emerging tools and methodologies for understanding and assessing the drivers of resilience, and financing and coordination mechanisms to advance resilience building efforts. The full document can be downloaded here.