Integration of C/D/E in other topics (mainstreaming)

Since 2019, risks and impacts related to C/D/E must be systematically incorporated into the SDC’s cooperation frameworks and operations. The starting point is a comprehensive C/D/E risk and impact screening through the Climate, Environment and DRR Integration Guidance (CEDRIG) tool. This reduces the risk of doing harm and opens opportunities to mainstream C/D/E into SDC activities and to create co-benefits where appropriate. For the latter, the SDC focuses on several topics including water, energy, agriculture, food systems, health, education, gender and governance.

In addition to these direct and evident links, C/D/E affects many other topics, often in complex, indirect ways in combination with other drivers. Such secondary effects of C/D/E can affect the economic and cause or exacerbate migration, displacement, and protection risks, and can ultimately undermine peace and security. C/D/E risks and impacts can exacerbate food, water and livelihood insecurity, with cascading effects including increased competition over natural resources or social disruptions, which in turn might increase tensions and eventually lead to conflict or instability.

Secondary effects are often induced by direct C/D/E impacts on primary sectors such as water or food (lack of water for agriculture, flooding), but attributing such secondary effects to C/D/E might be difficult, as a direct correlation is often absent. In addition, the response involves actors with different core competence (in migration, human rights protection, humanitarian aid or peacebuilding). Nevertheless, it is of prime importance to consider the potential impact of C/D/E in these areas from the onset, ideally as part of a systematic C/D/E screening through CEDRIG or an equivalent C/D/E screening tool. Useful additional information for C/D/E screening can be found in the SDC climate foresight analysis and in the Thematic Integration Briefs.

Water, agriculture and food systems

Water, energy, food and ecosystems are directly affected by C/D/E impacts and, as in the case of energy, may also create new risks. While these sectors are often the focus of targeted C/D/E interventions, mainstreaming can support the creation of co-benefits and ensure that the key sectors are addressed in an integrated manner and in the water-energy-food-environment nexus.

💡Project examples

• to be added

👓Further resources

• SDC Network Agriculture & Food Systems
• SDC Network Water (RésEAU)

Health

Health is directly and indirectly linked to C/D/E risks and impacts, with climate and environment as determinants of health, and should be addressed with a view to creating co-benefits. Reducing air pollution (both overall but also with regards to in-house cooking) and adapting to climate change through the cooling of buildings, for example, will also reduce heat-related and air pollution-related diseases.

💡Project examples

• to be added

👓Further resources

• SDC Network Health

Education & green skills

C/D/E education – including capacity development and vocational skills – is a major transversal-enabling factor and of prime importance for people’s participation and support for behavioural change and the necessary political and cultural shifts. It can also open up new economic fields and allow people to participate in the green transition in their countries.

💡Project examples

• to be added

👓Further resources

• SDC Network Economy and Education
• Input paper on green education (2025)

Green economy

C/D/E risks and impacts do have the potential to do significant economic harm such as the disruption of supply chains and the destruction of economic infrastructure. At the same time, climate change mitigation and environmental preservation should be at the core of the promotion of a green economy, and thus need to be systematically addressed in any intervention towards greening the economy.

💡Project examples

• to be added

👓Further resources

• SDC Network Economy and Education
• Inclusive green development (E+E Network)
• Input paper on green skills

Peace and security, conflicts and fragility, governance, gender

Gender inequalities can be amplified by C/D/E, and systematically integrating gender and addressing specific needs when planning for C/D/E interventions is key to achieving gender equity. Moreover, good governance is essential to tackling C/D/E risks and impacts comprehensively Consequently, good governance offers multiple entry points for C/D/E co-benefits. Finally, the secondary effects of C/D/E can ultimately undermine peace and security. C/D/E risks and impacts can exacerbate food, water and livelihood insecurity, with cascading effects including increased competition over natural resources, social disruptions or protection risks, which in turn might increase tensions and eventually lead to conflict or instability.

💡Project examples

• to be added

👓Further resources

• SDC Network Peace, Governance and Equality

Migration

C/D/E risks and impacts can exacerbate food, water and livelihood insecurity, which in turn can cause or exacerbate migration and displacement. In addition, natural hazards including hurricanes and floods but also slow-onset events such as sea level rise or coastal erosion can cause (temporary) displacement or migration. In turn, migration and displacement can also have impacts on climate change and the environment: for instance, refugee camps can put serious pressure on natural resources in host countries.

💡Project examples

• to be added

👓Further resources

• SDC Network on Migration and Forced Displacement
• Climate change related mobility

Humanitarian aid

C/D/E risks and impacts affect the most vulnerable disproportionally which often have the least coping capacity. Climate change and environment degradation are increasingly threatening peace and security, can lead to displacement and heighten the competition for natural resources in areas that are often already fragile or conflict prone. Humanitarian crisis can have a negative impact on C/D/E but negative C/D/E impacts can also cause or aggravate humanitarian crises. Investing in C/D/E and protecting the environment as basis of life has the potential of saving many lives, alleviating suffering and is crucial for our survival- often creating many co-benefits i.e. livelihood opportunities, decreased vulnerabilities (Protection), increased resilience (DRR) and enhanced food and water security etc.

💡Project examples

• Localization of Environment in Humanitarian Action Project aims to capacitate local actors to consider environment and climate in humanitarian response through locally adapted trainings and training materials following thereby a Training of Trainers approach and supporting the establishment of local communities of practices.
• Restoration of degraded ecosystems in the Sudanese refugee-hosting area in Eastern Chad: Promotion of peaceful cohabitation between local and displaced communities based on joint rehabilitation of overexploited natural resources (forest, pasture, soil and water), thereby creating livelihoods, income opportunities and contributing to resilience of communities (low-cost climate change adaptation measure).
• The Geneva Technical Hub aims to improve the lives of displaced people and their host communities by enhancing the quality of technical programming in environment and climate, energy, DRR, shelter/housing, settlement planning and WASH. Thereby increasing the sustainability of HA and increasing people’s resilience.
• Standby partner agreement with the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit for providing emergency secondments from Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit’s expert pool for environment crisis such as HazMat accidents i.e. industrial waste accident in former Soviet Union (Armenia &Ukraine).

👓Further resources

• Common Donor Priority Actions for Greening Humanitarian Aid (adopted by SDC)
• UNEP/OCHA’s Environment in Humanitarian Action Network
• Sphere: Reducing Environmental Impact in Humanitarian Response
• Thematic Brief on Greening Humanitarian Aid (coming soon)
• Humanitarian Competency Centre Concept (soming soon)
• Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations
• Humanitarian Aid Donor’s Declaration on Climate and Environment
• SHA Expert Group DRR, Environment and Climate Concept 2023 – 2026
• Green Humanitarian Assitance