The growing number of natural and man-made disasters around the world highlights the need for GCC countries to adopt a national resilience framework, according to a Booz Allen Hamilton report titled ‘Building National Resilience’.
The report explains how national resilience is a nation’s ability to survive crises, seize existing market opportunities, and prevent and manage risks in a changing world.
According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the negative consequences from a major disruptive event can reach up to 20% of a country’s GDP.
The 2014 Ebola outbreak provided the starkest contrast of how building resilience can affect catastrophic events.
Sierra Leone experienced the highest rate of infection in Africa with 8,706 reported cases, along with the second highest death rate, whereas Nigeria successfully contained the outbreak, suffering just 20 cases and eight deaths. These two West African states had such markedly different outcomes because of issues relating to resilience.
In the GCC, cyber-attacks are costing the government an estimated $1bn annually, according to the ICS Cyber Security Forum. As Qatar continues its vast infrastructure development projects in preparation to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, it is also preparing for the arrival of 1mn international visitors to the country.
Booz Allen Hamilton said an effective national resilience strategy could help the government build integration between sectors and network systems (eg, transportation, telecommunications, hospitality), implement necessary security measures, establish system redundancies to purposely create spare capacity to accommodate disruptions, and identify economic opportunities in the anticipated influx of international visitors.
Nabih Maroun, executive vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton-Mena said, “The risks faced by GCC countries are diverse, ranging from natural events such as flooding and sandstorms, to human-related accidents.
“We encourage GCC governments to make national resilience an integral part of their strategic agendas in the next few years to address such possible disruptions, which are concerns for all mature economies.”
Booz Allen Hamilton indicates that the best way to tailor resilience strategy is to adopt and implement a comprehensive framework. As a starting point, the World Bank and the OECD have published resilience guidelines that are widely recognised in the international community.
