The complex interplay of various insecurity factors is becoming more evident. Around the globe, communities are grappling with several disruptions, including declining agricultural productivity, intensified droughts, heatwaves, floods, food sources reduction, and cyclones (UNDP, 2022a).  Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused widespread human development setbacks and continues to pose challenges due to unpredictable variants. Additionally, geopolitical tensions and conflicts in Ukraine and other regions exacerbate existing humanitarian crises within a strained multilateral landscape (UNDP, 2022a).    These acute crises are giving way to chronic, interconnected uncertainties on a global scale, creating a sense of unsettled lives and an uncertain future (2022a) [Figure 1]. Consequently, feelings of insecurity are rising across the globe [Figure 2]. 

Resilience refers to the capacity of communities to draw on their experiences, resources, and knowledge to overcome challenges.    Recognizing the critical importance of resilience, the UNDP's 2022-2025 Strategic Plan emphasizes supporting countries and communities in building resilience and enhancing their recovery capabilities as core Signature Solution. In addressing the interconnected uncertainties impacting people globally, UNDP calls for solidarity as a key principle. Distrust, polarization and tendencies towards extremism, which are often associated with insecurity, can significantly weaken resilience (UNDP, 2022a, p. 52). These factors erode social consensus, weaken institutions, and undermine visions of a shared future, thereby hindering collective action and the sustainability of resilience strategies.    Our research on young socio-environmental activists in Latin America reveals a multidimensional approach to sustainable development. In addition, this movement integrates socio-environmental issues with personal experiences and emotions, as well as local issues.    In fact, initial results of our qualitative field research show how young adults and adolescents linked their interest in sustainable development causes to different situations. Firstly, non-formal education appears as a catalyst because it enables children and young people to the extent that it allowed them to carry out activities outside the classroom that they enjoy, in which they can actively participate and interact with others, and which end up being very important in their careers. Second, outdoor experiences that brought them closer to nature and allowed them to enjoy and appreciate it. Third, travel and exchanges as transformative experiences. Fourthly, cultural consumption, with documentaries available on different platforms standing out.  This process of engagement tends to unfold progressively. Even though these situations are diverse, they often have a common denominator: It is an experience that helps them understand that they are part of an interconnected whole and that includes nature and human actions.      Despite its relevance, the interviewees also acknowledge that socio-environmental issues are excluded from the national public agenda since other issues always seem to be a priority.  For example, wildfires, floods, or droughts are mentioned when they occur and their negative impacts are recorded, but there is no evidence of any sort of discussion of medium-term goals. To promote conversation on these topics, the youth emphasize the importance of developing narratives and deploying communication strategies that do not imply an apocalyptic vision of the future to avoid feelings of inaction. The reasoning is simple: If everything is lost and nothing can be changed, the fight to promote sustainable development and the possibility of causing transformations is meaningless. Hence, there is broad agreement that the messages “should be positive” and that the movement must formulate proposals in dialogue and collaboration with other stakeholders.    Moreover, young people believe it is strategic to adopt a socio-environmental perspective in which environmental issues are related to development through social inclusion. They often argue that the climate crisis and social inequality are closely related, given that the most affected people are, at the same time, living in vulnerable conditions. To this end, they recognize the need to collaborate with social movements and the people most exposed to the risks of environmental impacts. For the movement to grow, we need to support intersectoral dialogues where the development model of the country is discussed. This process implies, in turn, establishing mutual trust among different stakeholders.    As mentioned above, together with youth activism, grassroots knowledge is another pivotal point of our approach to this challenge. In this sense the results from the native plants workshop organized with populations of riverside areas allowed us to identify grassroot leaders with different types of knowledge and open an instance of collective intelligence to foster collaboration and mutual nurturing and understanding. Attention to grassroot knowledge is not separated from citizen activism and is related to the importance of the involvement of local populations as crucial strategy for building resilience in face of environmental challenges.  These communities involvement in designing and developing solutions to socio-environment challenges is also essential. Being the most affected while also being agents of adaptation, their participation in decision-making is vital. This “deep participation” process ensures that the decisions made reflect local needs and knowledge.     Additionally, on the one hand, the attention to grassroot knowledge results in prioritizing the needs of the communities and, on the other, it becomes an opportunity to leverage what people have already been doing so that the interventions align with their approach and the resulting actions remain somehow familiar to them. This is why integrating this local knowledge with existing practices enhances the effectiveness of sustainable adaptation strategies. By doing so, the solutions developed are tailored to the specific needs of each community, bringing a more efficient and sustainable response.  Results show that grassroots leaders would like to have more native plants in the city, aiming to build a local identity that highlights their cultural heritage. They wish to have more native plants available in commercial nurseries, as well as having them promoted in schools and used in public tree planting and reforestation efforts. They have also proposed municipal regulations and policies for the preservation and support of native plants.      They have identified several opportunities for achieving these objectives, including the presence of relevant individuals and artistic movements while working on the awareness of the negative consequences of the agricultural food system on native plants. The richness and ecological diversity of the forest, the potential for tourism, and the possibility of leveraging the Uruguay River as a biological corridor have been highlighted as positive outcomes. Additionally, a new urban planning code and state budget for reforestation were noted as facilitators for incorporating native plants.      Threads and obstacles identified were primarily cultural, economic, and awareness related. These included prioritizing commercial logic over common goods, lack of access to land, and state support for creating natural reserves. There was also a general lack of knowledge and awareness about native species, as well as cultural practices and beliefs that threaten native flora, such as equating native plants to "weeds" and patriarchal domination over species.      Lastly, participants proposed short-term actions to realize their wishes, such as designating individuals responsible for overseeing native species in public spaces, adopting trees, offering tax exemptions for planting natives, organizing challenges, promoting eco-tourism, and creating natural reserves through public-private collaboration. They have also suggested a phased approach for awareness and education, creating a municipal nursery for native plants, and organizing the territory to enhance biological corridors along the coastal municipalities of the Uruguay River, backed by an environmental land-use law.    On the other hand, the research line aimed at providing inputs for the regional human development index shows that we are living a world increasingly marked by complexity and insecurity, particularly in Argentina, where economic instability creates widespread uncertainty. As a result, the concerns of the interviewees often revolve around financial survival and the search for greater stability across various aspects of life. Independence—both economic and personal—is a shared aspiration, closely tied to education and employment. While interviewees may not use the term resilience, since it has not been explicitly mentioned, it is a central theme in the strategies people use to pursue well-being. The key dimensions of well-being include health—especially mental health, the development of healthy habits, and engaging in fulfilling activities—and family, social relationships, and mutual support. Well-being, therefore, is understood as an integrated state balancing emotional, mental, physical, and economic health.  Risk, fear, and uncertainty have significant impacts on emotional and mental health. Testimonies emphasize two key factors: socio-economic challenges and citizen insecurity. Both act as barriers to well-being, undermining trust in public institutions and government policies. These issues also highlight a sense of vulnerability and fear of rising social conflict linked to poverty and economic crises. While risk is often associated with loss, fieldwork also reveals a more hopeful perspective, where risk is seen as an opportunity for growth and achieving meaningful goals, often linked to courage, creativity, and entrepreneurship.  The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point that reshaped relationships, work, and communication. Digitalization accelerated rapidly, and fears related to health, contagion, and economic stability took hold. Both personal and professional relationships were disrupted, leading to feelings of disconnection. Many criticized the restrictions, seeing them as excessive and overly limiting personal freedoms. In response, individuals adapted by reorganizing tasks and relying on community support.  Concerns extend beyond economic insecurity and crime to governance issues. While democratic values are supported and ideals are respected, there is frustration with , interviewees express their frustration with government’s performance, particularly regarding how poorly the state has addressed citizens' needs. This disconnection between political leaders and the realities of the population has led to a perception that democracy no longer truly represents the people. However, this cyclical pattern of crisis is also seen as an opportunity for resilience, as people trust in their ability to adapt and overcome, as they have in the past.  The adaptive strategies people use to build resilience are based on experiential knowledge and are deeply connected to the pursuit of well-being. Four main themes emerge from the analysis: the importance of mental health, the challenges and potentials of digitalization, community-based responses to adversity, and the crisis of representation, where the state must address citizens’ deepest concerns and implement meaningful actions. Additionally, as seen during the pandemic, combating disconnection—both from oneself and from society—emerges as a central challenge that requires a systemic approach. 

Local authorities: Province of Entre Ríos/Municipality of Concepción 

The municipality of Concepción, province of Entre Ríos, Argentina, hosted the first workshop on native flora at the end of 2023. This initiative also included the collaboration of the Uruguay River Binational Project Adaptation to Socio-Environmental Challenges -the UNDP partner within this challenge-, and other local actors, like park ranges, the local community and universities. The local government is a well-known ally of the Lab, since we have collaborated before in another initiative about digital and financial inclusion. 

Proyecto Binacional del Río Uruguay: Adaptación a los desafíos Socioambientales [Uruguay River Binational Project Adaptation to Socio-Environmental Challenges]

This binational project, spanning four years, “intends to develop tools and exchange experiences of planning and management in both countries (Argentina & Uruguay) to contribute to vulnerability reduction and integral risk management. Through this comprehensive strategy, we will engage local communities and support the scaling-up of successful actions and plans that emerge from their participation. The Binational Project’s involvement in the first workshop on native flora exemplifies this collaborative spirit.