The concept of resilience is at the heart of an important shift in the relationship between humanitarian action and development operations. It is now a question of imagining new ways of interacting between humanitarian aid, disaster risk reduction, adaptation to climate change, vulnerability and poverty reduction. It is on this issue that the RESILIENCE project has been working since 2010 with funding from the European Union.
Given the challenges posed by this concept in the Sahelian zone, Groupe URD organised a workshop in Dakar to contribute to reflection with the actors involved in the region. This workshop allowed an exchange between national institutions of the countries of the zone, international practitioners and donors. The challenges of resilience were addressed in a transversal way around the process: anticipation – reduction of risks, vulnerabilities and poverty – preparation – response – construction of less fragile systems.
Representatives from the Senegalese and Mauritanian governments, AGIR Sahel initiative, IASC, OCHA, FAO, United Nations in Mauritania, OXFAM GB and Groupe URD facilitated discussion panels with 60 participants from relief and development organisations working in the Sahel region.