Societal Resilience

Definition

A resilient society can be broadly defined as one with strong social bonds, social institutions, and societal trust.

Societal resilience, as defined by NATO, is the ability of a society to resist and recover quickly from major shocks like armed attacks, natural disasters, health crises, or critical infrastructure failures, combining civil and societal preparedness with military capacity. It involves governmental institutions, the private sector, and civil society, emphasising the importance of citizens in national preparedness and responses, including effective public communications and countering disinformation. Trust between citizens and governmental institutions is crucial for effective crisis management and improvement of societal resilience, highlighting the need to engage the public in civil preparedness and defence efforts for long-term effectiveness. Citizens' understanding and active contribution are essential for a society's success in resisting and recovering from challenges.

Source

https://www.nato.int/structur/pdd/2022/220411-ResilienceContentGuidelines.pdf

Key words

Civil preparedness

Public engagement

Trust-building