The nexus in action – opportunities and challenges in scaling up nexus approaches

How do we get the nexus up and running in crisis settings? Register now for field observations by UNDP Resident Representatives (Myanmar and Madagascar) along with perspectives from WFP, ICRC and Oxfam on practical dilemmas in enhancing inter-agency collaboration.

Long-term displacement within and across borders, entrenched poverty and inequality, including gender inequality, persistent insecurity and flare-ups of violence, weakened public services and institutions, compounded by the pandemic, and by climate and environmental shocks often linked to climate change – are driving an unprecedented level of crises, with far-reaching consequences on the lives of millions of people.

Humanitarian, development and peace actors from government, NGOs, the UN and the Red Cross movement all play a role in better supporting people affected by crises. They each bring complementary expertise, operational capacity, reach into different communities, entities and institutions, and a different sphere of influence across a variety of stakeholders. Yet, fully capitalising on different actors’ mandates, skills and capacities and implementing ‘nexus approaches’ requires increased collaboration and coordination and a better understanding and a ‘recalibration’ of respective roles in crises. For humanitarians, it presents an opportunity to refocus their efforts, and scarce resources, on crisis response and life-saving assistance in emergencies, while enabling and facilitating the longer-term approaches of development and peace actors in addressing root causes. For development and peace actors, it requires us to ‘stay and deliver’ when crises hit, and to ensure that our actions are focused on the needs of the most vulnerable – targeting the risks and shocks that have such a devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of the ‘furthest behind’ and upon hard-won development gains.

However joined-up and collaborative working also raises challenges and dilemmas related to mindset, principles and identity, risk and risk tolerance, organizational readiness, skills and capacity, funding and partnerships models, among other factors.

Opening with a framing of some of the practical dilemmas in the context of Myanmar, this session aims to surface some of the obstacles to scaling up nexus approaches and to enhance the mutual understanding of priorities, dilemmas, language and ways of working, and to build knowledge on ways to address some of the most challenging aspects of operating and collaboration.