A group of key UN and non-UN aid agencies attending climate change talks in Bonn this week are calling for the humanitarian impacts of climate change to be addressed in the successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December.

Joining forces, the 18 organizations of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) argue that the next agreement on climate change has to take the humanitarian perspective into account. It is also essential for the agreement to set out a workable approach to
help the world counter the impacts of extreme weather events and environmental degradation on vulnerable communities.

"The scale of the potential humanitarian challenge presented by climate change in the future is huge. This is a defining moment to ensure that the challenge is not insurmountable and human suffering is minimised," said John Holmes, United Nations
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

There are three paramount concerns: First, the total number of people affected by disasters has risen sharply over the past decade with an average of 211 million people directly affected each year, nearly five times the number affected by conflict in the same
period.

Extreme and slow-onset climate events – such as floods, storms, droughts, rising sea levels and desertification – are impacting more and more people each year, adversely affecting human lives and livelihoods in many communities. The most vulnerable,
including women and children, are those already struggling with poverty, insecurity, hunger, poor health and environmental decline.

Second, climate change is expected to dramatically affect patterns of migration and population movement.  While migration is already a form of adaptation for some, the many
millions expected to be displaced by prolonged droughts, repeated floods or storms will be especially vulnerable and require significant assistance and protection.

More than 20 million people have been displaced by climate-related sudden-onset natural disasters in 2008 alone, according to a new study by the Norwegian Refugee Council's (NRC)
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"For the first time, we have a solid indication of the scale of forced displacement as a result of sudden-onset natural disasters in the context of climate change", said NRC Secretary General Elisabeth Rasmusson.

Third, the Copenhagen agreement presents a rare opportunity to shape and guide the international response to the humanitarian consequences of climate change over the next decade. With the right approach, many of these consequences can be averted or reduced over
the next decade. The humanitarian community – with its expertise, systems and partnerships – can help to manage these disaster risks.

But adapting to these climatic shocks will need a new humanitarian business model – one  that focuses on prevention and preparedness activities and that also strengthens national and local capacities to cope with the future impact of climate disasters.

For media contact in Bonn on 8-9 June: Ravini Thenabadu Tel: +41 79 500 6549
E-mail: thenabadur@who.int
 
For further information, please contact: 

Siri Elverland
NRC Oslo
Mobile +47+ 47 93 21 82 19
E-mail: siri.elverland@nrc.no

Paul Conneally
IFRC Geneva
Tel: +41(0)22.730.4669
E-mail:paul.conneally@ifrc.org

Jemini Pandya
IOM Geneva
Tel: +4179 2173374
E-mail: JPANDYA@iom.int

Veronique Taveau
UNICEF Geneva
Tel: +41 79 216 9401
E-mail: vtaveau@unicef.org

Andre Wilkens
UNHCR Geneva
E-mail: wilkens@unhcr.org

Ralf Suedhoff
WFP Rome
Tel: +39 06 6513 2776
E-mail: ralf.suedhoff@wfp.org 

Marina Maiero
WHO Geneva
Tel: +41 76 2350115
E-mail: maierom@who.int

Nicholas Reader
OCHA New York
Tel: +1-212-963-4961
E-mail: reader@un.org 

Elisabeth Byrs
OCHA Geneva
Tel: +41 22 917 2653
E-mail: byrs@un.org