The Scottish Government has announced an additional £1m funding through the Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) to support projects across Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Pakistan, designed to support communities at most risk from the impacts of the Climate Crisis.
Four Scottish NGOs: SCIAF, Oxfam, Christian Aid, and Tearfund, have each been allocated £250,000 to support projects designed to combat environmental impacts affecting communities across the world.
Speaking at COP28, Net Zero Secretary Màiri McAllan said:
“I am pleased to announce that four projects, in Pakistan, Zambia, Kenya and Ethiopia, have been selected to address loss and damage through Scotland’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund as part of a £1 million programme of work announced at New York Climate Week earlier this year.
“It is the first time, that we know of, that loss and damage funding has been dispersed through a humanitarian framework in this way.
“These projects will address the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and marginalised groups, and local communities will be involved in each step of project design and delivery.
“We hope that this will provide valuable learning and will support a growing evidence- base to inform the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and COP discussions.”
Frances Guy, HEF Panel Chair, said:
“The HEF Panel were very pleased to be involved in testing this novel approach to support for communities affected by the climate emergency and pleased to work together with the Scottish government to test out the options for humanitarian funding for Loss and Damage.“
SCIAF
SCIAF are allocating their funding to support a new Loss and Damage project in Zambia, where communities have been impacted by recent flooding and long-term droughts, brought on by the Climate Crisis.
SCIAF Chief Executive Lorraine Currie said:
“SCIAF has a great deal of experience of Loss and Damage programming in Malawi. This new funding will allow us to build on that work, this time in Zambia, to support communities there to build back better from the effects of flooding and drought.
“The people we serve are being hit hardest by the impact of climate change, despite doing the least to cause it. Communities will be at the heart of the project, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met.”
Oxfam
Oxfam, in partnership with the ASAL Humanitarian Network, plans to support communities impacted by climate-induced drought and flash floods, which have critically impacted Kenya’s arid environment.
Sebastian Tiah, Interim Country Director of Oxfam in Kenya, said:
“For years, communities across Kenya have been pushed to the brink by a climate crisis they did little to cause, facing prolonged, deadly, climate-induced drought and flash floods.
“The Scottish Government’s funding for Kenya, and other countries facing the irreversible impacts of climate change, is welcome recognition of this injustice.
Ahmed Ibrahim, AHN Convenor, added:
“We are glad this funding has come a time when coping capability of communities in the Arid and Semi-Arid regions have been stretched beyond limit because of the cyclic shocks caused by climate change, it is a grant in the nick of time. We hope that more countries will heed our appeal for loss and damage funding and commit more resources to supporting climate-impacted communities whose numbers keep growing in the face of myriad challenges resulting from climate extremes of both drought and flood.’’
Christian Aid
Christian Aid will operate in southern Ethiopia, an area heavily affected by intense droughts and devastating floods.These natural disasters have resulted in the destruction of homes, livelihoods, and livestock, creating urgent humanitarian needs.
Tearfund
Supporting communities impacts by floods throughout Pakistan, Tearfund’s project will aid farmers recovering from recent floods in Punjab.
Johnathan Johnson, Country Director for Tearfund Pakistan, said:
“This funding will play a pivotal role in helping women affected by the floods to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, and recover their livestock businesses. It will also help vulnerable farmers increase their agricultural production, and support communities to access clean and safe water once again, which is absolutely vital for their health and wellbeing. And crucially, it will help make communities more resilient in the face of future climate challenges.”