Integrating climate change and urban risks into the VCA: ensure effective participatory analysis and enhanced community action
This publication explores the vulnerability and capability assessment (VCA) in light of growing institutional VCA experience and changing risk patterns, in particular to assess its relevance in addressing issues linked to climate change and to conducting a VCA in an urban area. The VCA is composed of a set of participatory tools and approaches which aim to enable Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers to work together with communities and identify their vulnerabilities, risks, capacities and priorities. It highlights many different issues, including how the VCA is perceived, training and practitioners’ capacity, communities’ expectations and the fact that VCA standards (of preparation, design, outcomes and evaluation) vary considerably across the Red Cross Red Crescent; at times, the research found that the VCA process was not used to effectively contribute to informed planning of activities.