The Climate Charter – A Practical Guide Session 3: Practical tools and initiatives for reducing environmental impact in humanitarian action

As humanitarian actors are working towards reducing their environmental impact, it’s important to understand what tools are being developed and what initiatives are underway that can serve as a model for other organizations. Join us on 3 February for the next session of the Learning Stream on Climate Change and Humanitarian Action to learn more about how some of these may be useful for your work.

In our previous webinar, we gave an overview of how organizations can develop and implement environmental policies and strategies in line with Commitment 2 of the Climate Charter, and looked at challenges and opportunities, including some of the donor requirements and standards being put in place. Taking a starting point in these discussions, the next webinar will focus on practical tools and initiatives undertaken by organizations to reduce their environmental impact in humanitarian action.

This webinar will aim to share lessons learned on and responses to some of the following questions:   

• How can we incorporate more environment-friendly practices into our programming?
• What are some of the nature-based solutions/do no harm practices being used by organizations in their programming?
• What are the tools for NGOs to measure their environmental impact?

Resources and initiatives shared by participants during the event

• The Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations - Commitment 2
  Guidance
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) tools – e.g. the Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters (BHRC)
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) tools – e.g. Integrated Strategic Environmental Assessments in Post-Crisis Countries (UNEP)
• Environmental Stewardship Tool (EST)
• Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT+)
• MSF environmental toolkit
• Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA) Handbook
• Disaster Waste Management Guidelines (UNEP/OCHA/MSB)
• Principles for Locally Led Adaptation (World Resources Institute)
• Clean Fleet Toolkit (Fleet Forum)
• Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) – see for example WWF guidance on ESS
• Review of environmental impact of Cash Based Interventions and in-kind assistance – Environmental Checklist (UNHCR)
• CALP Network – Cash, environment and climate change Community of Practice
• UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit (JEU)’s Environment in Emergencies page
• European Commission’s Green Public Procurement