The Climate and Environment Charter two years on: Progress and challenges

May 2023

Tags: Climate change  

Since it was launched in May 2021, support for the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations has grown and gathered momentum. Hundreds of humanitarian organizations have signed the charter, it has been endorsed by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and states have pledged their support.
In the light of the increasingly visible and widespread impacts of climate change, the charter aims to steer the humanitarian sector towards collective action and raise awareness of how much still remains to be done.

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Strengthening the resilience of urban communities: Our way forward

June 2021

Tags: Climate change   / Youth

The ongoing pandemic and its long-lasting consequences call for renewed efforts in strengthening urban community resilience. Cities are both hubs of development and innovation and the epicentre of major challenges for vulnerable communities.
How do we improve the effectiveness of humanitarian action in urban areas? What kind of innovation is needed to tackle urban complexity and fragmented communities? Operating in urban settings is not new to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, but we need new ways of working in cities, including wider partnerships, along with advocacy for increased investment in risk reduction, social inclusion and equality for the most vulnerable.

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A Climate for Change: Towards a Humanitarian Climate and Environment Charter

October 2020

Tags: Climate change  

The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance due to the climate crisis today has reached an unprecedented level. As more than 51.6 million individuals have been recorded to be directly affected by floods, droughts or storms, it is all the more crucial for the humanitarian sector to react and come up with pressing solutions. In this regard, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has demonstrated the important role it has on the ground in reducing risks and addressing the impacts of climate change. With important events ranging from last year’s 33rd International Conference, to the more recent Climate: Red Summit on 9-10 September, the Red Cross Red Crescent network has demonstrated its preparedness to anticipate climate shocks and hazards before they hit. As “unprecedented” events are becoming the new normal, it is now more crucial than ever to take appropriate climate adaptation action.

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