Planning Resiliency: Shaping the Future - New issue of the Magazine Freedom from Fear

The development of modern technologies along with the acceleration of globalization and increasing inequalities are generating new paradigms and unpredictable risks. This has huge impact on populations all over the world. Today, millions of people are coping with crises stemming from climate change, violent extremism, organized crime, and a general lack of vision on how to develop sustainable responses. Threats, uncertainties and socioeconomic disparities, and the need for new effective and innovative approaches are symbiotic in every corner of the world.

Over the recent years, the word “resilience” is occupying the vocabulary of the global community. Why? It appears that we have entered a phase where we must cope with problems and adversities that we failed to anticipate and address from the very beginning. The word resiliency per se represents an admission of the need to survive and adapt to a variety of exponential changes that find us unprepared.

This issue of F3 includes articles describing different areas where resilience should be built to address individual and collective challenges. They offer a variety of perspectives, illustrating the necessity of enhancing resilience in institutions, sectors and societies to achieve human rights for all, prevent and counter crime and violent extremism, and mitigate emerging risks and respond to threats. Many articles of this issue are closely connected to the Sustainable Development Goal 16 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Goal 16 aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice and strengthen institutions and accountability. In addition, Goals 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 17 are also referred in these articles, embodying the connections between resilience and development, education, gender equality, cyber security, youth and women empowerment, community policies, law enforcement, environmental crimes, the risks and opportunities of advances in technology, and the power of sports and partnerships.

Throughout those articles, the crucial role of collaborative communities and a human-centric approach in supporting vulnerable groups and shaping a better future are underlined as well as the importance of regional and international cooperation.