The Resilience Shift and Resilience First have formed a strategic partnership this new global platform aims to be a catalyst for creating a safe, resilient, and sustainable future for all. It comes at a critical juncture for businesses, cities, and governments to effectively respond to sudden shocks, such as the COVID-19 global pandemic. While the world is still reeling from the pandemic and governments look to jumpstart global economies, prioritising and ensuring a resilient future is more important now than ever.
More than 600 businesses, ranging from HSBC bank, Tesco, Arup, Atkins, WSP, Intel, Perkins&Will, The Crown Estate and NBC Universal International underpin this collaboration between The Resilience Shift and Resilience First. The businesses in this network with annual revenues of more than $3trillion, employ more than 10 million staff, and have a presence in more than 150 countries; value and invest in resilience.
They will form a single global hub to spur knowledge, advice and best practice, and bring forth innovative, resilient solutions to pervasive climate, economic and societal challenges by:
- Influencing government policy to help incentivise and enhance critical, climate resilient infrastructure
- Stimulating resilience-focused finance and investment
- Building an unrivalled global community that enables disparate industries and communities to work together to enhance public and private sector resilience
- Creating cross-sector networks and working groups to share knowledge, advice and best practice, and make practical recommendations
• Promoting global leadership on bold, decisive action on resilience
Leading science highlights that the world has less than 10-years to avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Climate-related disasters alone have cost the world economy US$650bn over the past three years.
The newly combined forces of The Resilience Shift and Resilience First will help governments and businesses promote economic recovery and shape post-pandemic stimulus that builds resilience and accelerates global decarbonisation efforts.
“The next five years are critical to the future of our planet and resilience will be central to helping us survive and thrive,” says Seth Schultz, executive director of The Resilience Shift. “We need to be able to withstand and adapt to changing conditions and recover positively from shocks and stresses. Today’s announcement is the beginning of many radical shifts that will more appropriately prepare us to meet the challenges of the coming decade. We invite organisations to join us in our mission for a more resilient world”.
Simon Collins, chair of Resilience First, said ‘Resilience has been brought into sharp focus by Covid, but needs to be a permanent priority. The strategic partnership between these two organisations creates a platform with substantial convening power, reach and voice to help build resilience in businesses and the communities in which they operate.’
