Red Cross Society Seeks Partnership to Mitigate Climate Change

Funmi Ogundare

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) yesterday called for a collaborative effort with the private and public sectors to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Speaking at a forum themed,’ Moving Beyond Green: A Dialogue on Accelerated Climate Change Action’, in Lagos,  the Head of  Delegation, IFRC,  Bhupinder Tomar, expressed concern about the devastating effects of flooding in countries like Pakistan and Nigeria which has impacted negatively on the people.

He said the private sector can throw their weight towards strengthening the resilience of the people,  raising the issue and allow for larger investments. “We have had the worst flooding in Pakistan and here in Nigeria, we are seeing flooding that has impacted half a million people and those that have died and what  we are saying is that the impact of climate change is already here and people are suffering from its impacts.

“ Actors like ourselves in Red Cross, who traditionally responds to these disasters, cannot do it alone, we need support from government and private sector. We need to start investing towards its preparedness in Nigeria and the whole of Africa itself,” he stated.

The Head of Delegation said conversation about ensuring that the next generation and young people in Africa work with partners in  the private sector and humanitarian organisations to make a change, should be raised, adding that the private sector should make the issue of climate change, a part of their  Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR).

 “There is a case on the private sector globally that there is a return on investment for capital taking into cognisance the risk that it faces from the climate change. We are also appealing for the values of capitalism to say that they must be part of the solution, rather than just being a part of the economic return,” Tomar said.

He, however, expressed concern about the issue of insecurity especially in northern part of Nigeria leading to migration of people, noting that  the IFRC is trying to address the root cause of climate change.

“People do not have access to food, water and shelter. How can we make sure that we provide that? We are trying to bring stakeholders to the table, talk to the government and private sector to volunteer and become part of the solution that we need in the country,” he said.

On his part, the Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Red Cross Society  (NRCS), Abubakar Kende, expressed concern that the challenge of climate change is suffocating affected communities, and that it has become pertinent for the society to work with key stakeholders and solicit for collaborations to mitigate the impact .

He noted that government at all levels, private sector, groups and individuals should make a move towards stemming the tide of the national calamity.

“Many states are already affected. As of today, we have 26 states being affected by serious flood. With our various structure, we think we can collaborate with government and private sector in alleviating the suffering of people affected by the flood. “

He commended the government for providing the platform for supporting people affected by flood across the country, saying that with the establishment of National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) and most recently Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, is a clear demonstration of commitment of government to reach affected people.

The Head of Impact and Sustainability, Verod Capital Management , Mr. Chigozie Ejimogu said awareness is key in mitigating the impacts, adding that all hands must be on deck.

“If we can mainstream climate change into our education curriculum, it will go a long way. Kenya has done this. It is about rising from where we have fallen in this particular race and getting across to the rural areas to educate them on the issue,” he said.