In the run-up to the European Humanitarian Forum taking place in March 2023, DG ECHO is going to host a public warm-up session on Climate-Induced Crises: Taking Stock of Current Risks and Responses. The event will be organised jointly with the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations.

Experts, humanitarian actors, and donor representatives will be invited to share their views on the main humanitarian challenges related to climate change and the tools deployed by affected communities and local and global actors to tackle them.

Specifically, the panellists will be asked to look at the humanitarian ecosystem and its necessary adaptation to new realities and reflect on the interplay between climate change, human displacement, and conflict. The discussion will also focus on possible strategies to manage climate-related risks, including anticipatory action and emergency preparedness.

The objective of the session will be to gather inputs and discussion points feeding into the Forum session on “Mitigating climate-driven disasters: Scaling up resilience and anticipatory action.” At the same time, the webinar will provide a valuable opportunity for actors to share and promote good practices.

15:00–15:10 Introduction

Jean-Louis De Brouwer, Egmont Institute

15:10–15:15 Opening remarks

Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, Special Presidential Envoy for Drought Response, Federal Government of Somalia
What are the key threats for crisis-affected communities in the context of climate change?

15:15–15:45 Expert panel

Perrine Piton, Coordinator, Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS)
What has been done so far to anticipate and respond to climate-related emergencies? How can we manage multiple and uncertain climate risks and impacts in the context of a growing humanitarian funding gap?

Carina Bachofen, Director (a.i.), Climate Centre, Red Cross Red Crescent
How can we improve climate action in humanitarian and development responses through the implementation of the humanitarian-development nexus?

Sylvie Wabbes, Agronomist and Resilience Advisor, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
What complementary measures can be taken beyond the scope of humanitarian aid (e.g. water, agriculture, infrastructure) to enhance resilience?

15:45–16:15 Q&A

16:15–16:30 Conclusions

(Photo credit: Pixabay)