As the US-Africa Leaders Summit concludes, the CityLinks team is reflecting on the discussions that took place around resiliency. In partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation, USAID announced a $100 Million Resiliency Partnership . This partnership will focus on Africa and Asia where addressing food insecurity is a major focus of many of USAID’s programs. This was a timely announcement as African Leaders and policy makers in Washington called for a more holistic approach to development programs. US Secretary of State John Kerrystated that,

“The 7 billion people that we’re focused on feeding today is going to become more than 9 billion people by 2050 – 35 years. And more than half of this population growth…is expected to occur in Africa. But on top of that, the growing impacts of climate change are going to put extraordinary stress on our ability to be able to produce the amount of food that we need to be able to feed those increasing numbers.”

With rapid urbanization occurring throughout Africa and Asia, food security can no longer be seen as solely a rural issue. Many of the most vulnerable populations are now moving to or living in low lying areas in cities where they are not only food insecure, but also increasingly susceptible to climate related disasters. A comprehensive approach to development programs is becoming ever more critical as communities face more frequent disasters, often with increasing populations and diminishing local resources to cope and recover.

The mandate of the CityLinks program requires that programming looks at development holistically through the lens of resiliency. Approaching development challenges related to food security, water and sanitation access, and climate preparedness in the most vulnerable populations requires an integrated policy approach. As a team we are excited about the direction African leaders are calling for and look forward to supporting additional partnerships that address community resiliency.