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.
Working together in global, national and local coalitions, we can support the ability of individuals, communities, organizations and countries to anticipate, prepare for and reduce the impact of disasters, crises and underlying vulnerabilities. The affect of this will ensure people are better able to cope with and recover from the effects of shocks and stresses, minimizing the impact on their long-term well-being.
The 1BC invites everyone to be agents of change to create a more resilient world. It is an opportunity to build on, strengthen and expand existing networks and initiatives for community resilience. Partners forming local and national coalition will shape the initiative to suit their local circumstances, by implementing practical initiatives. Under the 1BC they will be connected to a global coalition driving greater access to tool, and expertise at the local level.
The 1BC ensures communities are able to make resilience building choices that fit with local needs and can draw on local resources. It will be designed to help communities and households build resilience across a wide range of areas, including: first aid and preparedness training, strengthening local institutions and early warning systems, pandemic preparedness and improving access to health and water and sanitation. The the ultimate aim to improve and save lives.
During the World Economic Forum in January 2016, the heads of UNICEF, WFP and IFRC, along with senior representatives from leading philanthropic organization, the Rockefeller Foundation, and insurance organizations Zurich Insurance, called for a “paradigm shift” in the world’s approach to humanitarian assistance.
60 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies are already convening coalitions, promoting and implementing 1BC activities in their countries bringing together partners and communities.
1BC coalitions and individuals taking action will be supported by tools to connect coalition members, kick-start initiatives and break down obstacles to building resilience. These tools include:
- Digital ecosystem public engagement connecting individuals, organizations, experts and governments to each other and 1BC online tools that help them to create opportunities to collaborate and take action on-the-ground to assess risk and design solutions to build resilience.
- Business continuity platform provides a suite of tools and services for small and medium sized enterprises to accelerate recovery time, forge more resilient supply chains, promote stronger linkages to government and communities and provide greater coverage of potential losses through insurance.
- Civil society organizations (CSO) partnership platform facilitates connection and information sharing between 1BC partners within communities by increasing visibility, transparency, accountability and capacity, leading to more effective partnerships at the local level, providing important insight into the local networks and community structures that can support building resilience.
- Advocacy platform enhances the capacity of communities and partners to speak out as one, increasing their influence on decision makers and opinion leaders to create or change government policies, legislation or practice that promote resilience.
- Operations platform helps to convert all of the connections and learning among coalition members to map local risks, design local solutions and implement community initiatives to address the highest priority risks in their communities.
As a coalition member you or your organization will have access to the expertise and networks of others. You will create and benefit from the collective impact of coalitions at global, national and local levels, simple-to-scale action and response, reach into remote and difficult to access communities, connect to community level partners and mechanisms for greater transparency, accountability and impact.
The 1BC provides members with:
- A dynamic vehicle to strengthen community and business engagement and to inspire individuals of all ages to identify risk in their lives, design solutions and take action to build resilience.
- Strengthened advocacy to promote investment in prevention and mitigation of risks that threaten their communities. 1BC brings together Governments, civil society and nontraditional partners, including the business community and other leaders and influencers, in coordinated initiatives and advocacy to build resilience at all levels. The 1BC amplifies the voices of those in need and asking for change, enabling increased public and private investment in risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and emergency preparedness and mitigation to enhance community resilience.
- Platforms for 1BC members to support their own initiatives toward resilience, by being part of a global movement of recognized and respected resilience practitioners and advocates. No organization is fully mandated or equipped to meet every need in every community. The 1BC allows organizations to work with wider sets of partners to undertake rigorous risk and vulnerability assessment, find synergies, and provide services and resources more effectively. The 1BC is an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than the work of any one person or organization and to be recognized for your contribution toward a common goal.
- Enhanced recognition, resource and knowledge sharing. The 1BC brings opportunities to build the capacity of your staff and volunteers, to recognize the good work of others and to share this with partners, through learning platforms, and streamlined resource and knowledge sharing. Within the 1BC, knowledge and resource sharing is a two-way street. Individuals and communities will be enabled to share their needs, knowledge and expertise with partners and participants, ensuring truly relevant and tailored action to build resilience.
The IFRC, with its presence in 190 countries and a local presence in more than 160,000 units, is perfectly positioned to convene the 1BC and support its partners to build resilience.
1BC is not an IFRC project. But it is an idea inspired by the experiences of IFRC in partnership with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world.
The 1BC is governed by a Global Steering Committee, comprising global leaders in resilience who are committed to uniting the efforts of their organizations, leveraging their networks, and guiding 1BC strategy, innovations and opportunities.
Download 1BC publications
Discussion Paper on Levels of Resilience
One Billion Coalition explained
The One Billion Coalition for Resilience (1BC) is an unprecedented commitment from individuals, communities, organizations, businesses and governments to mobilize the potential of our collective networks, our ability to work at scale, and coordinate our shared resources, to create a world where people are safer, healthier and can thrive, even in the face of adversity.
Safer, healthier and able to thrive, even in the face of adversity
The One Billion Coalition for Resilience is an unprecedented commitment to mobilize collective networks, to work at scale, and to coordinate resource sharing to better support individuals, communities, organizations and governments to improve resilience for everyone everywhere.
Take a closer look
Enabling platforms
Operations platform
Business continuity initiative
Digital ecosystem
MUrgency app – iOS, Android (piloted for 1BC in Mexico)