Be safer, healthier and thrive

The One Billion Coalition for Resilience (1BC) is an unprecedented commitment from individuals, communities, organizations, business and governments to mobilize the potential of our collective networks, our ability to work at scale, and to coordinate our shared resources, working toward a world where people are safer, healthier and can thrive, even in the face of adversity.

Over the past decade, humanitarian need has grown at a staggering rate. The number of people who rely on humanitarian assistance has more than tripled while the cost of responding has increased six-fold. Every indication suggests that this growth will continue. Our answer cannot be more of the same. We need to change, to take a longer view, and to more effectively use our collective resources, if we are to truly strengthen resilience and ensure communities are better prepared for the threats they face. The 1BC asks communities and partners to do exactly this. It is nothing short of a global paradigm shift and is essential to meet our global commitments to sustainable development and disaster risk reduction.

Demand for more effective collaboration and support for action at the community level is driving the momentum behind the 1BC. Leading organizations from both the aid and private sectors have taken up our call to action. During the World Economic Forum in January 2016, the heads of UNICEF, WFP and IFRC, along with the Rockefeller Foundation, and Zurich Insurance, called for a “paradigm shift” in the world’s approach to humanitarian assistance.

Ownership of the initiative lies with the people and communities taking action on their own behalf, and with partners and governments, businesses and research institutions committed to building community resilience. No one organization owns the 1BC. With every new member, the 1BC will become more effective, drawing from a larger pool of expertise, ideas and participants all working towards a common goal of improved resilience.