The number of those affected by disasters, natural or otherwise, has steadily increased over the years. In 2016, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) predicts that 125.3 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance across the globe. Meanwhile, resources to help these men, women and children are not sufficient – the UN estimates a $15 billion gap in what is available and the resources needed to respond adequately.

We, as humanitarians, have the responsibility to optimize our knowledge and resources to build resilience before disasters strike. Coalitions provide an opportunity to pool the knowledge resources of all partners. Taking advantage of social media and technology, knowledge and resource sharing becomes a two-way street, enabling individuals and communities to share their needs, knowledge and expertise.

Building City Coalitions for Community Resilience is a tool that provides lead organisation representatives with a simple guide to enable the development of urban platforms that will work to build community and urban resilience.

In practice, a city coalition will work on three objectives: 1) identify opportunities and partners who will significantly contribute to community resilience; 2) engage extensively with partners and communities to incentivize and motivate local action and reach of the coalition; 3) link the local One Billion Coalition for Community Resilience initiatives and campaigns to the global Coalition platform.

Each city coalition will shape the initiative to suite their local circumstances by implementing practical actions to kick-start activities in their city or area. These actions are complemented by access to technology, such as the Community Resilience Marketplace, an online platform and tool that will connect decision-makers to community needs and the One Billion Coalition online platform.

For more information visit www.onebillioncoalition.org

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