Building forward better: A pathway to climate-resilient development in fragile and conflict-affected situations

Opitz-Stapleton, Sarah; Gulati, Manisha; Laville, Camille; Vazquez, Mauricio; Tanner, Thomas

Abstract

People living in places affected by fragility and/or violent conflict are among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change. In these situations, a natural hazard – such as a flood or a drought – can quickly trigger disasters and exacerbate protracted crises.
Individuals themselves cannot meaningfully be expected to adapt to climate change. What is needed is for actors in conflict-affected countries to work together to address the drivers of fragility, and enable peace, stability and systemic resilience – so that people have more options to manage challenges and embrace opportunities. We call this Building Forward Better.
Building Forward Better will require a transformation in the way humanitarian, development, peacebuilding, disaster risk management and climate adaptation actors work in fragile and conflict-affected settings. This Framing note argues for a new way of thinking about and delivering the climate agenda in fragile and conflict-affected situations: one in which programmes and investments by all actors are linked, layered and sequenced in such a way that they mutually reinforce and support each other, and are informed by a clear understanding of the drivers of conflict and climate risks.

Citation

Opitz-Stapleton, S., Gulati, M., Laville, C., Vazquez, M., & Tanner, T. Building forward better: A pathway to climate-resilient development in fragile and conflict-affected situations. London

• Working Paper Type: Discussion Paper
• Deposit Date: Apr 15, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 15, 2024
• Pages: 1-44
• Publisher URL: https://odi.org/en/publications/building-forward-better/