Announcements
Now Hiring: Coordinator(s) for the Climate and Environment Charter Secretariat
Dear signatories,
Following our announcement during COP28 of a Secretariat for the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations, with support from the European Union and the United States we are excited to open recruitment for two remote positions!
“A small secretariat is being established for the Climate & Environment Charter. The Coordinator(s) will support the Charter signatories, connect signatories with expertise and resources from across the humanitarian sector and elsewhere and promote the Charter externally.
Reporting to the Governing Board of the Climate & Environment Charter Secretariat, this/these positions are hosted by ICVA.”
The opening has also been posted to the Charter’s Announcements page. We encourage you to share widely with those who might be interested.
Kind regards,
The Charter Team
Signatory Statement before COP27
On November 4th, 2022, Charter Signatories released the following statement to decision-makers gathering at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh
Last year at COP26 in Glasgow we called on the international community to act urgently to address today’s existential climate and environmental crises. One year later those crises remain urgent, existential, and accelerating.
The IPCC’s latest report on climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability leaves no doubt that climate change is contributing to humanitarian crises. It is already impacting and threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, often those who are already vulnerable and marginalized, and who have contributed to it the least. Humanitarians see this impact in our work every day. From flood and drought-related food and water insecurity, to rising sea levels threatening the lives of coastal communities, extreme heat and cold spells, more frequent and intense extreme weather events, the climate crisis is placing severe strains on people’s ability to cope and to the humanitarian sector’s ability to respond.
Our community of signatories has grown dramatically since the Charter was launched. We speak today for over 300 humanitarian organizations working in over 100 countries at local, national, and international scales. This reflects the humanitarian sector’s commitment to scale up to respond to needs, support those most at risk, and minimize our own impacts on the environment. We are determined to act, but we cannot do so alone.
Already, several major donors to the humanitarian system have affirmed their support as official supporters of the Charter. At COP27 we call on them and on all decision-makers to redouble efforts to avert the most disastrous consequences on people and their environment by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure humanitarian needs are met, and to provide the support people need to adapt to the present and growing threats that the climate and environmental crises pose to vulnerable communities around the world. We can no longer wait to act.
Signed,
Signatories to the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations
The Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations, one year on
The latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change present the most urgent and alarming calls to actions we’ve had to date. Its analysis on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability finds that climate change is driving and exacerbating humanitarian crises, and that climate impacts are perpetuating vulnerabilities as well as social and economic inequities. The science now confirms that climate change is not just a future humanitarian concern, but one having devastating impacts already, today – a crisis demanding a scaled-up humanitarian response, now. This is precisely what the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations aims to do: urgently steer and galvanize a collective humanitarian response to the climate and environmental crises. The 21st of May marks one year since the Charter was opened for signature. In this post, IFRC Climate Change Coordinator Tessa Kelly and ICRC Policy Advisers Catherine-Lune Grayson and Amir Khouzam highlight the good reasons we have for celebrating, as well as the need to maintain momentum and live up to our commitments.
Denis Onyodi/Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
This article first appeared in the Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog. Read the original here, or listen to the audio read on Soundcloud, Spotify or iTunes.
When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the second installment of its sixth assessment report on the impacts of climate change, connections between its findings and humanitarian action were abundantly clear. Protecting the lives and the rights of present and future generations largely depends first and foremost on political will to cut greenhouse gas emissions, halt biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, adapt to rising risks, and address loss and damage associated with the impacts of the crises. Yet humanitarian organizations have a role to play in responding to growing needs and adapting our responses to ensure that we help people adapt to these crises themselves.
It is this recognition that led to the development of the Climate and Environment Charter, a short and aspirational text that calls for a transformational change across the humanitarian sector. Its seven commitments are intended to guide humanitarian organizations in stepping up and improving our humanitarian action to address the climate and environmental crises and reduce humanitarian needs.
The strong support that the Charter has garnered in its first year reflects that humanitarian organizations want to do our part – and so do donors. These are good reasons to celebrate, and to redouble our commitments and accelerate our work. We are already playing catch up, and humanitarian needs continue to rise.
The commitment of the humanitarian sector to do more and better, together, is clear and uplifting.
Over the last year, more than 230 humanitarian organizations have signed the Charter. These signatures represent the full breadth of the humanitarian sector, with organizations of different scales, mandates and approaches joining in – from local NGOs in over 80 countries to international organizations, National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, UN agencies, and NGO consortiums.
The number of signatories and their diversity tell us a few things.
First, we can read this as affirmation that humanitarian organizations now see the climate and environmental crises as humanitarian priorities that we must address together as local, national and international organizations. We all agree that we also have much to learn from the solutions that communities have designed themselves, from climate scientists to development organizations and farming associations.
We can also read this as a testimony to the value of listening to people, seeking out diverse opinions, and building a sense of community. The Charter is not any one organization’s to claim – it was shaped by hundreds of individuals and organizations across the globe, and we think that this is why so many organizations are happy to be part of this effort.
The support the Charter has received also indicates a consensus on what needs to be done. We have often seen the Charter frame conversations on the role of humanitarian actors in responding to the climate and environment crises. We like to think that this is because the seven commitments captured in the Charter are virtually impossible to disagree with.
Donor countries have joined in, and they also have a clear role to play.
This was a year during which we have seen a growing number of countries commit to supporting a stronger humanitarian response to the climate and environment crises.
The Charter has always been a document for and by humanitarian organizations. As the number of signatories rose, States, government agencies, and other entities noticed, and asked how they could be involved to show their support for the Charter and the ambitions it represents.
This makes sense – in fact, it reflects two core elements of the Charter. First, the Charter highlights the importance of mobilizing urgent and more ambitious climate action and environmental protection. For this, it is essential to have governments and other decision-makers on board. Second, implementing the Charter requires financial and technical support, which requires the support of donors.
In response to this reality, we opened a Supporters category through which States, local and regional governments, government agencies and departments, and private foundations can indicate their support for the Charter. Since this category opened last fall, Switzerland, the United States, Norway and the European Union have formally expressed their support. We hope that many others will follow.
In March, at the European Humanitarian Forum, humanitarian donors were also invited to sign up to a new declaration on climate and the environment announced by the European Commission. The declaration echoes the Charter, as its signatories commit to investing in, preparing for, anticipating and responding to disasters, improving cooperation and partnerships at all levels and reducing the environmental impact of humanitarian activities.
The support for accelerating the implementation of the Climate and Environment Charter is increasingly clear – and we have no time to lose!
As we’ve always said, signing the Charter is the beginning of the journey. The true test is how this changes the way we work and how our commitments make a difference for the people we are working with and for.
Organizations signing the Charter commit to adopting and sharing publicly specific targets and implementation plans that demonstrate how their commitments are being translated into practice. Some 17 organizations have already shared their targets, and many have indicated that theirs are being developed and will be shared shortly. We find this exciting, because we see the targets as a way for organizations to clarify their ambitions, orient their efforts, and by sharing them publicly, learn from one another.
Recently, we surveyed humanitarian organizations on the support that they require to implement the Charter. We received nearly 100 responses from people working in over 100 countries and in every region of the world for international, national, and local NGOs and National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies.
We heard calls for help with developing concrete targets, compiling successful examples and case studies, and developing tools and technical standards for specific sectors. We also heard that peer-to-peer exchanges and direct assistance to develop targets and implementation plans would be extremely valuable forms of support. Moving forward into the Charter’s second year, we will focus on accelerating this area of work.
The support the Charter has seen in its first year is remarkable. It is also only the beginning. This is a work in progress – and we feel that it is moving in the right direction. We are immensely grateful for the strong engagement of humanitarians across the world in driving this effort forward. As a small Charter team, we cannot provide all the support that is critical to implementing the Charter, but we can help by identifying sources of support and making the right connections, and contributing to turning this into a truly collective effort.
Let’s see what the second year brings as we work together to meet the moment.
Signatory Statement before COP26
On October 20th, 2021, Charter signatories released the following statement to decision-makers gathering at COP26 in Glasgow.
“Today’s climate and environmental crises threaten the survival of humanity. All dimensions of our lives are affected, from our physical and mental health to our food, water and economic security. While the crises are impacting everyone, those who have contributed least to the problem are hit hardest – and it is only getting worse.”
Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations
The latest scientific evidence, including the most recent IPCC report, reconfirms the truth of these words. Our planet is in a period of accelerating climate and environmental crises, the effects of which are being felt by all of us. As humanitarian organizations we see this every day in our work.
As the world prepares to come together for COP26 in Glasgow this November, we urge negotiators to bear in mind the humanitarian consequences of their decisions. Climate-related disasters have nearly doubled in the past 20 years and weather-related hazards are now the number one driver of internal displacement, affecting most notably the poorest and most marginalised people. The climate crisis is adding an additional layer of stress to humanitarian organizations that are already stretched thinner than ever before. Urgent and ambitious action is needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to rising risks, so that we can avert the most disastrous consequences on people and the environment. Without ambitious climate action, humanitarian organizations will struggle to respond to increasing needs.
Even in the best-case scenarios over the coming years, we know that a certain amount of climate change and environmental degradation is set to occur, and that their humanitarian consequences are likely to increase. We must consider individual characteristics such as age, gender, and legal status, as well as structural situations that affect people’s exposure to risk, to ensure that people who are most vulnerable to those consequences receive the support they need to protect themselves and their livelihoods.
When we signed the Charter, we committed to scale up our action, reduce risks and vulnerability, and support those most at risk. We pledged to act upon local leadership and experience, to invest in durable responses, and to draw on and amplify local and indigenous knowledge. We promised to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, minimize the damage we cause to the environment, and reduce our waste, and to share information, insights, and resources so that the impact of our efforts is amplified.
We know that radical transformation is needed. We are determined to act, urgently and intentionally, and we call on everyone, across the humanitarian sector and beyond, to do the same.
Signed,
Signatories to the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations
Download the statement below:
