Integrating climate changeand urban risks into the VCA.Ensure effective participatoryanalysis and enhancedcommunity action

Extreme climate variability and rapid, unplanned urbanization are magnifying risks to the most vulnerable people. These changing risk patterns, compounded by poverty, epidemics and demographic shifts, can exacerbate the vulnerability of communities. The convergence of these trends and the corresponding exposure to risk have affected communities’ preparedness, coping strategies and resilience. Similarly, the short and medium term risk factors from climate change require different risk reduction approaches, especially in urban environments where the density of risks, stakeholders and communities are unprecedented. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has been at the forefront in working with communities to increase their resilience to hazards. Our vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA) is a process of participatory investigation designed to assess, analyse and address major risks affecting communities in a timely manner. It aims to determine the level of people’s vulnerability to those risks, and their capacity to cope and recover from them. VCA has been one of the prominent methodologies used by the IFRC and its member National Societies since the 1990s.