Actions taken:
The Italian Red Cross (CRI) supports and participates in the Operational Coordination of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to ensure an effective response to international humanitarian crises. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) provides CRI with guidelines, resources, and global strategies, enabling effective emergency responses and the implementation of risk mitigation projects related to climate change.
At the European level, CRI collaborates with the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), which offer operational and financial support for civil protection projects. In Italy, the Department of Civil Protection (DPC) is a key partner in prevention, preparedness, and emergency response activities, recognizing the Italian Red Cross as an “Operational Structure” of the Civil Protection System.
Synergy with the academic world and the scientific community is ensured through collaborations with leading institutions such as the National Research Council (CNR) Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (IGAG), the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), and the University of Paris Dauphine. These partnerships allow CRI to integrate scientific advancements and technological innovations into its operations, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of emergency responses. The International Center for Environmental Monitoring (CIMA) also plays a crucial role in promoting the study, scientific research, technological development, and advanced training in environmental sciences. CIMA supports CRI in environmental monitoring and risk management, contributing to civil protection and ecosystem safeguarding.
The European project PPRD East 3, titled “Prevention Preparedness Response to Natural and Man-made Disasters in the Eastern Partnership countries – phase 3,” aims to increase disaster resilience in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. This region faces significant risks from earthquakes, floods, landslides, wildfires, underground fires, cold waves, and various environmental and industrial hazards. The project has three specific objectives: to develop sustainable capacities within the respective Civil Protection institutions of the partner countries for disaster risk prevention, preparedness, and response; to strengthen synergy between governmental actors and civil society stakeholders; and to enhance regional coordination.
As a consortium partner of the program, the Italian Red Cross is responsible for developing, managing, and coordinating all activities related to emergency planning and involving civil society and the academic sector in disaster prevention, preparedness, and response. The expected outcomes include consolidating the role of volunteers within the civil protection system in collaboration with the National Societies of the partner countries. CRI aims to work with the civil protection departments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine to strengthen local, national, and cross-border plans, adapting them to various risk scenarios with a multi-risk and multi-stakeholder approach. A particular emphasis is placed on implementing and structuring early activation in response to weather bulletins. Through this initiative, CRI has enhanced the Early Warning Early Action (EWEA) approach in the partner countries, focusing on the need for a structured and institutional alerting system that monitors and analyzes risks to support early activation and structured preparedness.
As part of the ESARC project, the Italian Red Cross funds a PhD scholarship in collaboration with the CIMA Foundation and the University of Genoa. The PhD supports planning approaches aimed at improving humanitarian intervention capabilities, working with existing data to support the creation of civil protection approaches and more structured situational awareness. The general objective of the PhD is to address the inherent complexity of EWEA and formalize an innovative approach to plan, design, and implement EWEA strategies in contexts with limited data availability, supporting legal and institutional frameworks. The research involves studying existing early warning systems and emergency situation analysis, identifying best practices and shortcomings in the use of effective EWEA processes for crisis management, with a particular focus on humanitarian intervention.
In addition to these activities, CRI has undertaken several initiatives to address climate change and environmental sustainability. This includes training volunteers as Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA) officers for climate-related weather events. In March 2022, CRI joined the pilot project “Carbon Accounting Tool for the Humanitarian Sector,” designed by the IFRC-ICRC to create and share a common tool for calculating the carbon footprint in international humanitarian action. Since January 2024, CRI has installed special groups of containers for separate waste collection on each floor of the buildings at the “Ramazzini” site to maximize waste separation produced by staff during working hours.
In August 2021, CRI adopted the Climate and Environmental Charter for Humanitarian Organizations. Subsequently, it raised awareness and developed an environmental policy, approving the Environmental Policy of the Italian Red Cross. In 2022, CRI released the Green Policy, which contains guidelines for organizing associative events to meet criteria of greater environmental awareness and sustainability. The newly formed internal Green Team conducted surveys in 2022 and 2023 to analyze staff commuting habits, creating a car-pooling system and promoting a related service app. To further minimize the climate impact of the organization, CRI is finalizing its action plan on sustainability.