Partners in Aid: How Humanitarian Actors Support Climate Adaptation in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings

Application summary

Climate change adaptation (CCA) is necessary for mitigating the harmful impacts of climate change in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCS). Yet there is scarce academic evidence from these areas, with notable gaps in knowledge regarding the opportunities and drawbacks associated with humanitarian climate programming. This postdoctoral research project analyses humanitarian climate agency in areas experiencing overlapping climate and conflict risks. It seeks to better understand the ways in which humanitarian involvement can support (or undermine) resilience in areas marginalised, under-serviced, or excluded by mainstream CCA initiatives. The project’s analytical focus is largely on local ownership and involvement in humanitarian climate projects. It uses an actor-oriented analytical approach (Long, 2001) to explore the agency of locally-hired humanitarian employees and beneficiary communities, thus generating novel theoretical understanding of actor positionality as a factor of CCA in FCS. The project is designed as a multi-case study that collects and analyses qualitative data from three CCA initiatives implemented by Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement members in FCS. Access to relevant cases is facilitated by the project’s humanitarian partner organisation, the German Red Cross. The study draws on climate science to explore and challenge the established disciplinary limits of anthropocentric humanitarian studies and offers urgently needed research-based policy advice for individuals and entities involved in developing, implementing, and/or funding CCA activities in FCS.