What is it?
The recurrent, protracted and complex nature of many crises re-enforces the importance of developing longer-term interventions that address humanitarian needs as well as development and peacebuilding challenges. Resilience is the ability of an individual, a community or a country to cope with, adapt and recover quickly from the impact of a disaster, violence or conflict. Resilience covers all stages of disaster, from prevention (when possible) to adaptation (when necessary), and includes positive transformation that strengthens the ability of current and future generations to meet their needs and withstand crises.
The nexus approach is a collective effort of the EU, its Member States, and its partners to address protracted and predictable crises, to help people recover and to avoid unnecessary suffering. This approach stems from the 2017 Council Conclusions.
Why is this important?
Disasters caused by natural hazards and conflicts pose a major threat to sustainable development and peace. The impact of such disasters and the complexity of humanitarian crises is growing, as climate change results in more severe and frequent weather-related events, coupled with population growth, rapid urbanisation, depleted eco-systems, and conflicts. Crises are becoming increasingly recurring and protracted..
Disasters and humanitarian crises affect people differently. A person’s resilience depends on many factors such as their economic well-being, education, gender, health, and age as these define their capacity to cope and adjust. Building communities’ resilience is critical to minimise the impact of disasters and prevent future humanitarian crises. As such, the EU places importance on finding more durable and sustainable solutions for these people
The humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach is a shared vision in the EU, which puts into effect the synergies between members of the humanitarian, development, and peace community. This approach ensures that humanitarians can focus on acute needs and those in development can focus on long term resilience, promoting peaceful and robust communities.
How are we helping?
Helping individuals and communities be better prepared for, withstand, and cope with the immediate aftermath of a disaster or other crises is vital in reducing the impact of such crises and avoiding loss of life and livelihoods.
All humanitarian projects funded by the European Union have to apply the Resilience Marker which ensures that the interventions reduce risks and strengthens people's coping capacities so as to minimise humanitarian needs.
The EU also launched the Resilience Compendium, a collection of 29 practical examples of disaster risk reduction and resilience activities carried out by the EU, other donors, organisations, and vulnerable communities.
The EU places resilience, through a nexus approach, as a central objective in its development and humanitarian assistance. Recent EU-funded actions include:
The DIZA programme in Chad:
The DIZA programme (Programme de développement inclusif dans les zones d’accueil) is a nexus programme that aims to help the most vulnerable people in Chad – refugees, returnees, internally displaced people, and host communities – by increasing access to basic social services, generating employment opportunities, and strengthening local governance and resilience. DIZA combines humanitarian assistance with development cooperation. This programme is implemented by a consortium of international and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) cooperating with local authorities.
First Line Emergency Response system in Myanmar:
Protracted conflicts require a new, women-led approach to shift power to local populations so they can move from short-term humanitarian ways of working to integrated approaches involving localisation, capacity building, humanitarian interventions, development and security, with the aim to leave no one behind. This action is designed to equip local civil society organisations and community-based front-line emergency responders, and self-help groups with the resources to prepare for, and respond to crises. This action will enable local communities to design and utilise responsible, adaptable and accountable responses to crises.
Social protection programme in Somalia:
The EU has launched an initiative to combine its humanitarian and development assistance in Somalia. The programme is implemented by a consortium of NGOs and UN agencies, mainly through cash transfers, and lays the foundations for a large-scale shock responsive social safety net to provide long-term support to households that chronically lack enough food, building resilience though a nexus approach.
Last updated: 01/03/2021
Facts & figures
In 2018, an estimated 206 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance. Six protracted crises (Yemen, Syria, DRC, Türkiye, Afghanistan, and DPRK) account for 80 million people in need.
(Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2019)