Designing policies that are coherent and adequately integrated is a critical facet of strengthening the resilience to climate of the most vulnerable groups: such policies will not only help strengthen their livelihoods but also make it possible for potential co-benefits to be taken advantage of and for unintended consequences including maladaptation to be avoided. However, it is the building of coherent and integrated policies which take into account the multidimensional nature of livelihoods and address the multiple sources of inequality that is the biggest challenge. Adaptation policies must be an integral part of sustainable development strategies in order to minimize the current and future impacts of climate hazards on livelihoods.