Climate change is a global issue that contributes to worsening humanitarian needs around the world. However, humanitarian actors and their operations also have an environmental impact. In order to respect their commitment to "do no harm", NGOs must take appropriate measures to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible.
HI is therefore a signatory to several international commitment frameworks to align its humanitarian action with the environmental emergency:
HI is taking action in two areas:
- mitigation, by seeking to reduce its carbon footprint through limiting greenhouse gas emissions and implementing more sustainable practices in its projects.
- And adaptation, by strengthening the resilience of the most vulnerable populations to the already noticeable impacts of climate change through teams working on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.
In 2018, HI formalised an institutional policy aimed at reducing its ecological footprint. This policy enabled it to acquire the necessary resources to build its carbon footprint, which will be consolidated in 2022, based on 2019 reference data. On this basis, HI has committed to reducing its emissions by 50% by 2030.
In January 2026, the Humanitarian Environment Network clarified the targets to be achieved by confirming the 50% reduction target for all emissions linked to the organisations' operations and, in the spirit of climate justice, no longer setting arbitrary targets for emissions linked to aid provided to vulnerable populations.
Handicap International's actions for the coming years are in line with this new trajectory.
