Quarterly and Annual Performance Report

The partnership was established in 2014 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Cooperative Agreement #AID-OAA-A-14-00022. The partnership's primary objective is to support the development of resilience in communities affected by conflict, climate change, and economic instability. During the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2015, the partnership made significant progress in various areas. The Senior Management Team (SMT) hosted a meeting at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Centre, which brought together external organizations, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, The World Bank, UN, UNDP, Zurich Insurance Group, and DFID. The meeting aimed to develop foresight for expanded opportunities that advance the partnership and chart a path forward to promote broader conversation and collective action towards achieving the shared goals. The key outputs and decisions from the meeting included the development of an initial strategy for influencing global policy with respect to resilience, a partnership development plan, further development of the engagement plan with respect to key events, and agreement by a subgrouping of the Political Champions to join the partnership as Executive Sponsors or Associate Sponsors. Additionally, a decision was made to establish a trust to be hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation, which will enable SIDA funding to be mobilized. The partnership also made significant progress in the area of structure, with the recruitment of an Executive Director, Luca Alinovi, who will commence work on 2 November 2015. The recruitment process for Regional Directors for the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and Asia regions is ongoing, with the SMT agreeing to use the services of a headhunter and draw on executive sponsors' networks. The recruitment of a Chief Operating Officer (COO), Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Lead, and Communications Director is also ongoing, with the incoming Executive Director preferring to leave the post of COO/COS vacant for a period of two-three months to enable him to assess the possible options for resourcing this role. In the area of funding, the partnership with Z Zurich Foundation was formally announced during the World Water Week in Stockholm, with the Foundation committing US$ 10 million in funding towards a water resilience window, which will be launched in 2016. The partnership also made progress in the area of partners, with the planning and preparation for the Bellagio II meeting, which will be the first Partnership Council meeting. The Partnership Council will act as an Advisory Board to the Global Resilience Partnership, with some organizations invited to Bellagio I being invited as full members of the Partnership Council. The Global Resilience Challenge was a priority area during the quarter, with the review of Stage Two solution statements and the Wild Card submissions taking place. Eight teams were chosen for funding in Stage Three, along with three Wild Card teams, and the announcement of winners took place during the USAID Signature Event in New York on 27 September 2015. The communications activities in the quarter included account management, team coordination and outreach, and media relations, with the team developing agendas and weekly call summaries for each meeting, researching a list of African-based organizations to whom to send the Wild Card opportunity, and drafting and sending emails to African-based Wild Card targets. Overall, the Global Resilience Partnership made significant progress during the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2015, with the partnership continuing to advance its objectives and promote resilience in vulnerable communities worldwide.