Resilience Thinking: making the case for resilience in development

This is Session 4 of Learning Lab “Resilience Thinking” organized by the SDC Networks Agriculture & Food Systems, RésEAU and Climate, DRR & Environment to mainstream resilience thinking in development practice

In many of SDCs network programmes, the challenge is not understanding what resilience means, but figuring out how to effectively apply it amid political shifts, urgent needs, and complex local realities.

Through previous sessions in this learning series orchestrated by ODI Global, we looked at the case for resilience, how to operationalize it, and how to assess and monitor progress. This session will build on that foundation by focusing on the practical question many colleagues face: how can we navigate resilience among competing priorities? 

It is designed to be valuable whether or not you joined earlier discussions (recordings and materials are available online).

We will dedicate substantial time to interactive discussions and peer-to-peer exchanges across SDC and our partner networks, to create space to reflect honestly on the constraints many of you face and to share approaches that have worked in practice.

Together, we will explore questions such as:

• How do we frame resilience when political cycles demand quick, visible results?
• How can programmes respond to immediate needs while still strengthening longer-term capacities?
• When do we adapt to stakeholders priorities, and when is it important to hold the line?
• How to make private sector investment work for resilience?
• What practical strategies have helped colleagues navigate similar challenges across different contexts?

Participants will exchange experiences, compare approaches, and surface innovative ways of working that reconcile short-term realities with long-term objectives.

The goal is to learn from the diversity of experiences across contexts and identify what is transferable to your own work.

Looking forward to seeing you! And don’t hesitate to share the invitation further.