BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH NEXUS PROGRAMMING

Countries facing high fragility experience overlapping crises—conflict, climate shocks, economic instability, and social fragmentation—that cannot be addressed through siloed approaches. While humanitarian aid meets urgent needs and development programmes target long-term growth, both fall short in volatile contexts. The Nexus approach integrates humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts, enabling life-saving support alongside system strengthening, social cohesion, and resilience building.

World Vision’s Nexus Accelerator Fund (NAF) supports integrated, multi-sectoral programmes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. Year 1 focused on addressing immediate needs while building trust and laying foundations for resilience. Through adaptive programming and local partnerships, projects demonstrated the added value of Nexus approaches in fragile settings.

Across six pillars—Sustainable Solutions, Peacebuilding, Local Ownership and System Strengthening, Behaviour Change, Integrated Programming, and Adaptive, Risk-informed Approaches—interventions delivered promising results. Context-specific actions ranged from climate-smart agriculture in Afghanistan to combined peacebuilding and livelihood recovery in Iraq. Community-led models and cross-cutting themes like GEDSI and MHPSS strengthened inclusion, accountability, and behaviour change.

Key lessons highlight the need for fragility-sensitive design, adaptive management, and strong community leadership. Local partnerships proved essential in responding to shocks such as conflict, drought, and displacement. These insights inform next phases, focusing on scaling community-driven approaches, deepening integration, and embedding risk-informed planning across programmes.