Climate Charter

As organisations working in conflict, complex, fragile and disaster-prone contexts, the humanitarian sector is witnessing growing humanitarian needs compounded by climate change and environmental degradation. We need to step up our response and act collectively, in order to address these emerging and multi-faceted challenges. The Charter stems from the recognition that as a humanitarian sector, we have the responsibility to not only to respond to the humanitarian consequences of these crises, but we also have a responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of our own actions and play our part in mitigating environmental degredation.

As humanitarian organisations, we have a commitment to the communities we serve. In taking climate and environmental action, this means, for example, supporting communities in building their resilience to climate change, or minimising our own impact on the environment. While we need a sector-wide commitment to change our ways of working, humanitarian actors play unique roles based on the context in which they work. Some other examples are listed below:

• Humanitarian actors provide immediate relief in the aftermath of climate-related disasters, such as distributing food, water, shelter, and medical aid to affected populations.
• We work on reducing the vulnerability of communities to future climate and environmental disasters through measures like early warning systems and infrastructure improvements
• Humanitarian organizations advocate for climate action and sustainable environmental policies at local, national, and international levels, emphasizing the link between climate change and humanitarian crises. We collaborate with governments, international organizations, NGOs, and local communities to create a cohesive and effective response to climate and environmental crises.
• We support and empower local communities and institutions to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate and environmental challenges.
• Humanitarian actors are integrating sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices into our operations, such as using renewable energy sources, reducing packaging waste, sourcing locally-produced aid and materials for our services.

This Charter has been developed by and for humanitarian organisations. Signatures will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations (whether they are Red Cross/Red Crescent, NGO, or inter-governmental) that provide humanitarian assistance and/or protection. Signatures will also be accepted from not-for-profit networks, think tanks, consultancies or academic entities whose primary work is centered on humanitarian action.

Several states, local and regional governments, government agencies and departments (such as NDMAs), and private foundations have expressed their desire to support the Charter. Any such organization wishing to formally express this support may sign up as a Supporter and will be listed publicly on the Charter website. Support to the implementation of the Charter is critical in many ways. Technical and financial support are key to turning commitments into reality. Calls for ambitious action at all levels to reduce risks and address the causes and consequences of the climate and environmental crises are equally important. Similarly, the development of donor policies that align with the Charter is also welcome.

You can sign-up to the Charter via the Charter website and the Charter Secretariat team will be in touch to verify requirements:

• Your organisation must work on issues related to humanitartian action – disaster response, humanitarian response in conflict, protracted, disaster-prone, fragile and/or post-conflict contexts
• The focal point signing the Charter must be authorised to sign on behalf of your organization, with the approval of the Head of the Organization, CEO, Executive Director, Secretary General or equivalent level

The Charter is designed to galvanise and steer collective action. It represents a high-level institutional commitment from the humanitarian sector to adapt our ways of working and work collectively to address these crises.

The Charter is not a legally binding document but a statement of commitment. Organizations adopting the Charter should be committed to addressing the climate and environment crises, both through their programmes and the way in which they work. Organizations will be expected to translate the commitments in the Charter into time-bound targets and action plans within a year.

Targets provide a clear framework for setting objectives, measuring progress and ensuring a commitment to the principles of the Charter. An organization can use these targets to set achievable goals that align with its overall mission and strategy, enabling more effective planning and resource allocation. By setting and working towards environmental and climate targets, organizations contribute to the broader global effort to take action on climate change and environmental degradation.

Organizations adopting the Charter should be committed to ensuring they have specific targets (these could be new, existing or a mixture of both) that demonstrate how changes are being implemented and that lead to real reductions in their environmental impacts. Each organization will have its own specific targets, reflecting its scale, capacities and mandate. These targets may take time to develop. Organizations do not need to finalize their targets before adopting the Charter; they merely need to commit to doing so within a year of signing it.

Targets should be informed by international standards and agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, and be based on the latest scientific evidence. They may represent intermediate steps or long-term goals.

Organisations can find examples of Targets developed by others for inspiration. The Charter Secretariat is also a resource for organizations in its process of developing or updating targets. For many, these targets may already be a part of organizational strategies and action plans, or existing programs linked to climate and environment action.

At the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in December 2019, the ICRC, the IFRC and a number of National Societies committed not only to adapting their ways of working but also to developing a charter to support and promote greater climate action within the humanitarian community at large. ICVA, as member of an Advisory Committee for the Climate Charter, joined the ICRC, IFRC, and other civil society actors, to support the development of the Charter, spear-headed through consultations across the humanitarian sector.

There will not be a formal external monitoring mechanism. Organizations themselves are expected to monitor and report on their own progress.

Resources and tools to help signatories implement the Charter are available on the website. You can find more information that will support you to implement the Charter Commitments:

• Access the recording of the Launch the Charter Secretariat HERE (English only)
• See the Support Offer from the Charter Secretariat (includes Arabic, French and Spanish translations)
• Review Guidance under each of the Commitments that will give you more information/tools/resources on how to implement Charter commitments.
• The Charter Secretariat team is available to support organisations to develop targets, action/work plans and policies that are relevant to the Charter commitments.

A two-person Charter Secretariat team serves as a referral hub to support and connect organisations to implement the Charter commitments. You can find more information about the Charter Secretariat, its roles and functions on the website.

A Charter Secretariat Board has been established to govern, advise, provide oversight, and facilitate the work of the Charter Secretariat. The term of the current Board is from September 2024 to September 2026. You can find more information of the current Board here.

Due to the need for a focus on climate and environment action in the humanitarian sector, with the development of the Charter, EU and Member States also connected and supported the Charter. You can find the full list of Charter Supporters here.

• Several humanitarian donors have signed a Donor Declaration on climate and the environment. The Declaration mirrors parts of the Charter and includes commitments donors can take to support a humanitarian system that prevents, prepares, anticipates and responds to climate and environmental risks and impacts.
• The Charter Secretariat has been funded by the generous support of the European Union’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

You can contact the Charter Secretariat via email on secretariat@climate-charter.org

Information on upcoming and past meetings, webinars, conferences and other events organised by the Charter Secretariat, Signatories, Supporters and partners can be found on the Events page.

The Charter Secretariat shares updates via newsletter bi-monthly. You can find the latest on the Newsletters page.