Recently, the term “resilience” has emerged as a popular discourse and tool, which can bridge the gap between humanitarian and development programming across conflict and disaster zones. While, traditionally resilience-based approaches are reserved for humanitarian crisis, more and more development agents refer to resilience as a key tool for their own long-term programming. To this end, UNDP PAPP is inviting scholars, practitioners and participants from the various sectors to discuss and debate the relevance and applicability of resilience-based approaches in the Palestinian case.
To this end, critical voices raise important questions – “ what is resilience?,” “ how can resilience support the Palestinian project of self-determination?,” “ how to build resilience in both policy and programming?,” “how to measure its impact?”, and “how to use resilience-based thinking to create economic opportunity?”
UNDP PAPP seeks to facilitate an internal-external discussion on resilience by including national and international stakeholders, key academics, policy-makers and advisors. In doing so, UNDP PAPP seeks to work with local and international stakeholders engaged in the Palestinian territories to define and ground resilience-based approaches in the delivery of our various-collective mandates and missions to assist the Palestinian people. Further, UNDP PAPP aims to open forum to existing organizations and agencies that work on resilience to share their knowledge, understanding and approach as a process of collective learning.
Resilience-based planning and strategizing holds the promise to bring together a scattered pool of stakeholders to think-plan-deliver effectively and efficiently in the interest of serving the Palestinian people. Therefore, UNDP PAPP invites individuals and organizations to formally submit position papers that tackle resilience, and its applicability to the Palestinian case. UNDP PAPP is currently accepting abstracts on topics related to the conference theme, with respect to the following panels:
Creating Economic Opportunity to Reduce Dependency?
1. How can planners in the realm of sustainable development work with the private sector to create economic opportunity which also supports reduced dependency. Give examples in the form of case study or refer to ongoing studies and assessment.
Reducing Unemployment by Creating Equal Access to Diverse Economic Opportunity
1. The role of higher education and vocational training to reduce unemployment. What is missing in policy and practice?
2. Can entrepreneurship offer a solution for both unemployment and socio-economic issues in the Palestinian context?
Re-vising the Importance of Agriculture, Land, and the Environment in Resilience-based Development
1. How to build a resilient agriculture sector with limited resources?
2. What are the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation?
Livelihoods and Vulnerabilities : How can Resilience-based Programming Contribute to Sustainable Development ( SDGs)?
1. How can resilience-based approaches strengthen the resilience of Palestinians to remain on their lands? Explore the particular case of Palestinian communities in Area C, East Jerusalem and/or Gaza.
Reversing Fragmentation: Building Resilience Through Spatial-Planning
1. Explore the links between planning and resilience across urban settings in the Palestinian territories. What are the current gaps and what are the opportunities?
2. How to sustainably manage natural resources across under-developed areas in the West Bank? Explore key regions in Area C, linking private development to long-term sustainable livelihoods.
3. How to build better in Gaza with ‘protection’ in mind? Develop on existing recovery and rehabilitation efforts by identifying the gaps in policy and practice.
Deadlines and Selection Process
- Participants will be selected based on evaluation of abstracts of 200-500 words.
- Deadline for submission of abstracts is June 10th, 2016.
- Selected authors will be notified by June 30th , 2016.
- Final papers to be presented are due July 20th , 2016.
- Individuals who have not submitted final papers by the deadline will not be included in the final program.
- A select number of papers will be considered in a post-conference UNDP PAPP publication. Original authors will have the opportunity to revise their papers to incorporate feedback from the conference prior to official publishing.
- To submit, please send your abstract with the following in the subject line “ Resilience Conference Abstract” , addressed to Lamya Hussain at : lamya.hussain@undp.org. Please include your CV and a short bio.