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.