FCA’s new Climate Mainstreaming Approach and Tool, developed together with Gaia, improve the management of risks caused by climate change in developing countries.
The pro-active approach taken by FCA ensures that FCA is integrating climate change adaptation in poverty reduction projects. It is a way of improving the quality of FCA activities by managing climate related risks and strengthening the capacity of local partners to cope with climate change. It can also help increase the overall sustainability of the development impacts together with FCA local partners, especially in highly sensitive sectors such as water, agriculture and health that are simultaneously facing many other challenges. Gaia through its climate and development expertise assisted FCA in identifying a suitable mainstreaming approach.
“Climate change challenges development co-operation in a novel way. As the newly published report by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change shows, the linkage between global warming and extreme weather events is becoming more and more evident, and the most vulnerable are the ones who suffer most. Floods and droughts, as in East-Africa and Asia recently, may for example severely harm food security. Mainstreaming tools help organisations working in development co-operation face and tackle the impacts of climate change and improve risk management in developing countries. This is essential in order to fight poverty and to help the poorest”, says Jouni Hemberg, Director of International Co-operation of FCA.
”Climate change can seriously affect the outcomes of development initiatives aimed at reducing poverty – in some cases, completely negating their benefits. At the same time, development programmes have the potential to increase resilience amongst target populations to ensure that all efforts today continue to advance sustainable development even in the face of climate change. In order to do this we need to demystify climate change, and provide guidance and concrete tools to decision makers on all levels – be it on strategic level or people working with poverty reduction on the ground”, says Mikko Halonen, Climate and Development Expert at Gaia.
Formed in 1947, Finn Church Aid is today the largest non-governmental organisation in Finland working in development co-operation, and second-largest in humanitarian assistance. FCA carries out development co-operation, humanitarian assistance, advocacy work and inter-church aid on behalf of the Evangelic Lutheran Church in Finland.
FCA Climate Mainstreaming Approach and Tool in English
For further information:
- Gaia / Mikko Halonen, Climate and Development Expert, tel. +358 40 700 2190
- Finn Church Aid / Katri Suomi, Head of Advocacy and Global Ecumenical Relations, tel. +358 40 635 1738
