Start Network is calling on world leaders at COP26 to help ensure the humanitarian sector is better prepared to deal with more intense and severe climate crises.
Humanitarian events are increasingly being accelerated by the global climate emergency. By 2030 147 million people will be affected by floods. By 2050 1.6 billion people will be exposed to heatwaves. 1 in every 33 people needs humanitarian assistance today, climate events are likely to lead this number to exponentially increase in the upcoming years.
Start Network has four messages for COP26 leaders.
- The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis. All humanitarians, particularly local actors, must play a proactive role in addressing escalating climate risks.
- Anticipatory action is one of the practical ways that civil society can address escalating climate risks. We must scale up anticipatory action to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.
- The global approach to dealing with crises is not fit for purpose. The climate crisis is exacerbating humanitarian needs and humanitarian funding cannot keep up with increasing demand.
- We need a more proactive, localised system where communities are supported to analyse risks, create plans and have access to pre-arranged financing to put plans into action.
Launching Start Ready
To address these issues, Start Network will be launching Start Ready at COP26, a new financial service for the humanitarian sector, which provides pre-agreed funding at scale for predictable crises – based on locally led action and using innovative risk analysis, collective planning and pre-positioned financing. At COP26, we will be calling on world leaders to invest in Start Ready so that at-risk communities can get ahead of predictable crises.
How can you amplify these messages? We need you to take three actions:
Download our advocacy pack
Our advocacy pack has all the resources you need to support our key messages, policy asks, graphics, quotes from members, key content and all the resources.
Participate on social media
Support and share our social media campaign on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
Join one of our events
Join the COP26 sessions that Start Network will be participating in.