CILSS organised a workshop in Niamey from 23-25 August that brought together some 30 resilience experts from five Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Senegal), as well as development partners. Within the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) and the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR), the region is working to develop a consensual resilience measurement tool. A technical platform, led by CILSS with technical support from the FAO, was launched in March 2016 in Dakar. It has started reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of existing resilience measurement tools. The workshop aimed to share initial findings and to validate a draft concept note for an appropriate analytical framework to measure resilience. The discussions revealed that no single tool currently provides all of the elements that are required to effectively measure resilience in the region. The Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis (RIMA) is one of the most prominent tools; it uses a quantitative approach that analyses how households cope with shocks and stressors. The FAO currently uses RIMA in six West African countries, but the tool’s complexity and the data requirements underscore the need for a less complex and more adaptable tool that can respond to the specific needs of the region.  The Cadre harmonisé, which is already used in 17 Sahelian and West African countries, could provide the basis for such a consensual tool. However, it currently mostly designed for rural areas and does not consider variables like employment, labour, mobility and migration. Data availability constraints and regional harmonisation pose significant challenges. Participants also recalled that the findings must be interpreted within specific local and national contexts and must take into account different time scales and spatial aspects. They discussed next steps including the key priorities of the five-year technical platform work plan and the establishment of National Technical Committees (NTCs) to ensure local ownership. The project will be presented at the next annual meeting of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) in Abuja in December, with the hope of attracting support from additional partners and thereby ensuring the rapid development of a West Africa-adapted tool.

Summary Record (French):http://www.cilss.bf/IMG/pdf/Rappport_final_Atelier_AMR_Niamey_Version_300816.pdf