What is the Race to Resilience?

The Race to Resilience is the global campaign to catalyse a step-change in global ambition for climate resilience, putting people and nature first in pursuit of a resilient world where we don’t just survive climate shocks and stresses, but thrive in spite of them.

Led by the High-Level Climate Champions for Climate Action, the Race to Resilience aims:

• By 2030, to catalyse action by non-state actors that builds the resilience of 4 billion people from vulnerable groups and communities to climate risks
• Through a partnership of initiatives, focus on helping the most vulnerable, frontline communities to build resilience and adapt to the physical impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat, drought, flooding and sea-level rise, in three area types:

Urban: Cities, industrial communities and informal settlements become healthy, safe and thriving spaces that support resilient livelihoods and allow for green recovery post COVID-19.

Rural: Smallholder farmers, rural entrepreneurs, and industries across food and agricultural supply chains are adaptive and are equipped to thrive in the face of climate change whilst protecting nature.

Coastal: Safeguard coastal and riverine cities, communities and businesses through increased investment in adaptation and resilience and protection of natural ecosystems that support those livelihoods and economies.

The Race to Resilience has 28 Partners, representing over 2,000 organisations, delivering action in over 100 countries.

The High Level Climate Champions Race to Resilience was launched at the Climate Adaptation Summit on January 25 2021 by Alok Sharma, COP26 President designate, after an opening statement from Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations.

Action to date

What have Race to Resilience partners done so far?

The Race to Resilience is supporting locally-led adaptation where actors work from the ground up with local, indigenous communities to catalyse climate resilience across urban rural and coastal areas.

The Race to Resilience has broadened the scope of the campaign to invite Partners advancing Transformations that are making significant and innovative systemic changes by altering the structural conditions and processes we currently operate in.

Examples include:

DARAJA : The Inclusive City – Community Forecasting and Early warning Service

DARAJA, which means ‘bridge’ in Swahili is a service that aims to improve weather and climate information services. DARAJA builds operational partnerships between the actors critical to the co-design of the products, dissemination channels and feedback loops. It is delivered via a range of digital and analogue tools, apps and resources hosted on a digital platform. Pilots in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam have shown strong impact results and a 20:1 benefit cost ratio in enhanced productivity and avoided climate related damage. The Service is also being adapted for deployment into Small Island States.

BFA Global’s DF4CR

To understand the opportunity for digital finance and fintech to power greater climate resilience, BFA Global convened a Task Force of climate and financial service experts, including World Resources Institute, CGAP, PayPal, and the team of the UN Race to Resilience campaign. Together, the Task Force developed a Digital Finance for Climate Resilience (DF4CR) solutions map to provide an actionable way for stakeholders to understand the DF4CR opportunity and the concrete solutions that can grow climate resilience among vulnerable people in emerging markets

For details of how to join or to find out more, please click here.