IASC Action Plan on Engagement in UNFCC COP28

Background

In June 2022, IASC Deputies decided to establish a time bound group at the technical level to consider past actions of the IASC in response to the climate emergency and consider areas for future action. The IASC Climate Crisis Sub-Group was created to follow-up on this important task and formulate an Action Plan for consideration by the Deputies Group. This document, therefore, seeks to:

1. Galvanise humanitarian engagement with the broader climate change policy agenda by enabling coordinated engagement in the UNFCCC processes, in particular towards COP28 (December 2023).

2. Outline how humanitarians can work better together to influence UNFCCC processes and related UNFCCC COP28 outcomes, and other relevant initiatives, including through:

   a) Establishing common objectives and promoting common messaging on mitigation, adaptation, finance and losses and damage across sectors.

   b) Agree on mechanisms for coordinated information gathering, strategic analysis on climate risk, impact and loss and damage.

   c) Coordinate structured engagement with key stakeholders and processes to influence relevant outcomes and initiatives.

   d) Set out specific activities that will be undertaken by IASC members to help galvanize humanitarian engagement on the climate change policy and action agenda.

While the climate emergency is a humanitarian emergency, widespread negative impacts are already being felt on reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on the effective enjoyment of human rights for all. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis report concludes that, “Increasing weather and climate extreme events have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security. Climate and weather extremes are increasingly driving displacement in Africa, Asia, North America, and Central and South America, with small island states in the Caribbean and South Pacific being disproportionately affected relative to their small population size”1. Extreme weather-related UN humanitarian appeal requirements were approximately 800% higher in 2021 than in 20002. Over the past decade the top 12 most climate vulnerable countries experienced a 170% increase of people in need of humanitarian assistance and an US$ 87 billion financial gap to fund crisis- related needs3. Negative climate impacts, financial gaps and challenges to operations will only continue to grow with increasing global warming.