At the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the Stimson Center and the Commonwealth Secretariat launched a new CORVI partnership.

Through this partnership, the Stimson Center and the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Blue Charter program—supported by the UK Blue Planet Fund and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)—will develop and pilot a new CORVI Rapid Assessment protocol.

Three Commonwealth countries, consisting of either Small Island Developing States or vulnerable least developed coastal cities, will be selected to trial the CORVI rapid assessment. During the process, participating governments will engage with the CORVI methodology, receive the rapid assessment results, and work with Stimson and the Commonwealth Secretariat to better understand available options and next steps to help their coastal cities advance climate-smart policies and build coastal resilience. The first phase of the five-month project will commence in 2021, and the project will conclude by the Spring of 2022.

While not as comprehensive as a full CORVI assessment, the 5-month rapid assessments will provide selected SIDS and vulnerable coastal cities with a high-level risk picture, allowing decision makers to more quickly tackle climate risks and build resilience to pressing urban-coastal challenges.