Tackling climate change in fragile states and protracted crisis situations

Join this IIED Debates on Monday, 18 October to explore what role humanitarian agencies can play in tackling climate change in protracted crisis situations.

Many of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries also suffer from protracted humanitarian crises linked to conflict, displacement and state fragility. Climate change is already making these crises more severe, with serious consequences for poor and vulnerable people, and especially women, girls and displaced people.

As climate change worsens, it will become increasingly difficult for humanitarian agencies to address the needs of people affected by conflict and disasters unless majors reforms are made in the way that they work.

This online event asks what needs to change and what role can humanitarian agencies play in tackling climate change in fragile states and protracted crisis situations?

Climate change presents a major challenge for the governments of countries that are fragile or affected by protracted crises that often have neither the resources nor the political will to prioritise climate adaptation or resilience building. Humanitarian agencies also tend to prioritise short-term humanitarian interventions and find it challenging to integrate climate action into their humanitarian programming.

Climate change places an added burden on communities that are already struggling with the effects of poverty, conflict and displacement, and may contribute to the creation of environmental, socio-economic and political conditions that exacerbate conflict and undermine governance in these contexts.

As climate change accelerates, will humanitarian actors be able to keep pace with the impacts of climate-related disasters in these contexts, and what do they need to do to meet the challenge of the climate emergency?

This IIED Debates event will bring together an expert panel of grassroots activists, humanitarian organisations and expert researchers to discuss the challenges that climate change poses for vulnerable people in fragile states and protracted crises. Our speakers will debate how humanitarian agencies – both international and local – can tackle the intensifying risks posed by climate change in these contexts.

Does climate change cause conflict and contribute to state fragility? How can humanitarian actors mitigate climate risks or support adaptation while also responding to immediate humanitarian needs caused by conflict and displacement?

How can displaced people be supported to achieve durable solutions that are also resilient to climate change? How can humanitarian agencies support local actors to tackle climate risks more effectively? And what practical reforms do humanitarian actors need to adopt to address climate impacts and risks in these contexts?

About the speakers

• Professor Clionadh Raleigh is professor of human geography, University of Sussex
• Paul Knox-Clarke is co-founder of the Climate and Humanitarian Crisis Initiative
• Dr Catherine-Lune Grayson is policy advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross
• Degan Ali is an internationally-renowned humanitarian leader and organisational development consultant and the executive director of Adeso
• Abdurahman Sharif is senior director of partnerships and outreach – Europe at Internews and former director of Somalia NGO Consortium
• Caroline Voûte is health policy advisor in the programmes unit of Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) UK
• Simon Addison (moderator) is principal researcher and team leader (public policy for climate resilient development) in IIED's Climate Change reseach group

About IIED Debates

This event is part of the IIED Debates series. Through the convening of expert speakers and external stakeholders, IIED brings together an international community to discuss critical issues.

IIED Debates encompass both physical and digital events, including critical themes, breakfast debriefs and webinars. These events are public and are hosted regularly throughout the year online and when possible in our London and Edinburgh offices.

About attending

Webinars are online workshops that people can attend via the internet from their desk or portable internet device.

This webinar will use the Zoom video conferencing platform. For those who have not attended a Zoom webinar before, please read this guide to participation as an attendee.

The event will be recorded to be distributed publicly afterwards. By registering for this event, you agree to give your consent for this.

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