Now available-Recording of the Webinar on Commitment #6 of Climate and Environment Charter 

Access the audio and video recordings of the the Webinar on Commitment #6 of Climate and Environment Charter

On 30 June, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies, together with PHAP organized a webinar in the Learning Stream on Climate Change and Humanitarian Action exploring Commitment #6 of the Climate and Environment. 
Commitment #6 of the Climate and Environment Charter encourages humanitarian organizations to use their influence to mobilize urgent and more ambitious climate action and environmental protection. This webinar aimed to:   

• Raise awareness of the UNFCC process and the importance of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) and how it links to humanitarian action
• Discuss why humanitarian organizations need to engage to bring in humanitarian perspectives on the topic of Loss and Damage in the lead-up to COP27
• Highlight the modalities and strategies for humanitarian NGOs to engage in the preparatory work for COP27

During this live event, we heard from our esteemed panelists. Jasmine Moussa, Counsellor, Legal and Humanitarian Affairs, Permanent Mission of Egypt in Geneva spoke on the COP27 Presidency and why this COP is important for countries that are developing, in conflict, already heavily impacted by Climate Change. She highlighted their emphasis on the commitment to focus on climate change adaption, disaster risk reduction and anticipatory action while simultaneously requiring the humanitarian community to reduce its own carbon footprint. Colin McQuistan, Head of Climate and Resilience, Practical Action provided an overview of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) process and highlighted how loss and damage fits into the climate negotiations. 

We also had a chance to hear from Kirsten Hagon, Senior Analyst, Humanitarian Policy, IFRC, who brought in a general humanitarian perspective through the broader IASC. She spoke on prioritizing urgent action for the most vulnerable through coordinated humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy in the climate space. Nina Birkeland, Senior Adviser on Disaster Displacement and Climate Change, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), explored the human mobility (migration, displacement, and planned relocation) perspectives for COP27, its importance in the loss and damage discussions and how humanitarian NGOs can engage and advocate and mobilize more concrete action. Lyndsay Walsh, Climate Policy Adviser, Oxfam GB, focused on key findings from Oxfam’s recent report ‘Footing the Bill’, on loss and damage finance and how this applies to the humanitarian sector.

As part of ICVA's and PHAP's Learning Stream on Climate Change and Humanitarian Action, this event followed the launch event of the series that introduced the Charter, the first session of the webinar that examined adapting to the impacts of the climate and environmental crises, the second session on maximizing the environmental sustainability of humanitarian work, the third session on practical tools and initiatives for reducing environmental impact in humanitarian action, the fourth session on embracing the leadership of local actors and communities in climate action, and the fifth session on understanding and integrating climate and environment risk data in humanitarian action. 

If you missed the chance to join us for this event, you can now access video and audio podcast format recordings and event poll results on the event page.