Summary
This IASC guidance report from September 2023 focuses on enhancing environmental responsibility in humanitarian operations. It outlines strategies for reducing the environmental impact of humanitarian efforts, emphasizing the role of senior management and effective environmental management systems.
Content
The present guidance, commissioned by the IASC and published in November 2023, describes why environmental responsibility is an important element of humanitarian action, and outlines how humanitarian organizations can take action to reduce their environmental footprint and improve environmental sustainability. In this guide, “environment” is use comprehensively to address all these interlinked dimensions of the triple planetary crisis.
The guidance summarizes relevant environmental management approaches and practices that help to address the organization’s environmental impacts and lay the foundation for more environmentally responsible humanitarian operations. Key elements of existing environmental management guidance, such as ISO 14001 on environmental management systems, have been adapted to reflect the particularities of humanitarian organizations and their operations.