At the end of 2008 ProAct Network, Geneva conducted a study of NRC’s shelter and camp management projects in Burundi. The report has just been finalized and is presenting recommendations for improved environmental protection in the implementation of NRC’s projects in Burundi, a densely populated country.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is already actively engaged with environmental issues in its operations for refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In addition to being a cause of displacement, environmental degradation and impact of climate change also have serious consequences for those already displaced.
Furthermore, since climate change is no longer only a future and environmental, but also increasingly a humanitarian problem, the humanitarian community, including NRC, has stepped up its cooperation and engagement to ensure that the humanitarian consequences of climate change are acknowledged and addressed appropriately.
But the ongoing discussion on the causes and impact of climate change implies a certain danger. While the climate change adaptation discussion focuses on “protection from the environment”, it is important not to neglect the climate change mitigation and the continuing responsibility to “protect the environment”.
NRC is therefore routinely considering the environmental impact of its operations on the one hand and the vulnerability to climate change of displaced persons on the other hand.
Three specific objectives form the basis of the report:
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to find alternative solutions to the use of firewood in refugee camps in order to reduce its use by 75 per cent;
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to analyse the technical approach adopted by NRC in the construction of houses, household latrines and social infrastructure and propose improvements or possible alternatives for the use of materials with limited adverse environmental impact;
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and to mitigate waste and environmental pollution as a result of NRC offices in Burundi.