Practical Action is a development charity with a difference. For over 40 years, they have been working closely with some of the world’s poorest people using simple technology to fight poverty and transform their lives for the better.
Practical Action has a unique approach to development – they don't start with technology, but with people. The tools may be simple or sophisticated – but to provide long-term, appropriate and practical answers, they must be firmly in the hands of local people: people who shape technology and control it for themselves.
In Bangladesh, we will partner with Practical Action to help thousands of poor families to be better prepared for and reduce the risks of natural disasters. Lessons from this project can then be leveraged to other regions and countries.
In Peru, we will help hundreds of families introduce sustainable and profitable farming within the tropical forest region. This will protect the rainforest and promote sustainable livelihoods for farmers and their surrounding communities.
Beyond our financial contribution, we will work together on areas of mutual interest such as applying our disaster risk reduction and preparedness expertise to help poor and vulnerable communities become more resilient to natural catastrophes.
The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour. Its main tool for change is certification of sustainable forestry and agricultural practices, and developing markets for these certified forest and agricultural products.
In partnering with the Rainforest Alliance, Zurich supports sustainable agricultural standards and practices in relation to cattle farming. Sustainable agricultural practices have many benefits – higher productivity and quality of products, leading to better incomes for farmers; mitigating risks of food scarcity and insecurity; protection of forests and biodiversity.
We also support the Rainforest Alliance’s climate change work. The Rainforest Alliance is working with communities to address both the need to prevent further deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the need to secure sustainable livelihoods for the poor.
Beyond our financial contribution, we will work together on areas of mutual interest such as measuring the impact of sustainability certification on risk reduction and promoting sustainable procurement practices.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization. The IFRC coordinates and directs international assistance following natural and man-made disasters in non-conflict situations. Each year, the International Federation supports Red Cross or Red Crescent National Societies in responding to catastrophes around the world. Its relief operations are combined with development work including disaster preparedness programs, health care activities, and the promotion of humanitarian values.
Zurich has established a 5-year partnership with the IFRC. We support efficient and effective disaster response through annual contributions to the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). We also invest in the IFRC’s work on Disaster Risk Reduction. Zurich and the IFRC are tackling a common challenge – the number, severity and impact of disasters are on the rise because of factors such as climate change, unplanned mass urbanization, rapid population growth and environmental degradation – and we will find ways to cooperate and work together to address this common challenge, of which Disaster Risk Reduction is a key part.
Disasters kill and injure people, often depriving them of their livelihoods. They damage infrastructure, reduce productivity and generate social tensions. They consume precious resources that could be better directed towards development, and they can wipe out years of development in minutes. Vulnerable communities are often confined to cycles of disaster and response, and the people hardest hit by these effects of climate change are the world’s most vulnerable: the elderly, the sick, and the poor. To meet the humanitarian challenges of climate change, we must not only strengthen our capacity to respond to disasters, but we must also invest in Disaster Risk Reduction – in making communities stronger and more resilient in the first place.
As a founding member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Corporate Support Group, Zurich is able to help protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal strife, provide them with assistance, and reinforce efforts to promote peace and security for a sustainable future.
Through this partnership, Zurich has also been actively engaged in substantive dialogue and exchange of expertise with the ICRC and other corporations in the Corporate Support Group. Opportunities for employees to participate in exchanges in areas such as communication, managing uncertainty and responding to crises have proven very valuable for professional training and development.
