Concern Worldwide

Staff from Concern Worldwide will be attending COP29 next week - a COP where climate finance is taking centre stage. Tommy Chimpanzi from Concern Malawi explains why low-income countries should not be left to fund solutions to climate change, when higher-income countries are most responsible for its impacts.

To be a success, the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) set to be agreed at COP29 Azerbaijan should be predominantly made up of public grant-based finance. There are currently too many loans and not enough grants, entrenching existing inequalities and exacerbating debt crises in climate-vulnerable countries like Pakistan. “This [public grant-based finance] will ensure that climate finance does not further aggravate developing countries’ debt burden, but instead bring us closer to a most sustainable future for everyone” says Shafqat Ullah from Concern Worldwide in Pakistan.

Since 2016, making humanitarian response more locally-led has been the subject of much international discussion. However, progress remains slow. Concern Worldwide is delighted to launch Beyond Barriers: From Rhetoric to Action: Localising Humanitarian Response - a project examining the barriers to localisation and providing actionable learning and tools to shift toward a more locally-led response. Over the course of the project, Beyond Barriers collected an unprecedented body of evidence, including findings from five stakeholder workshops, 293 key informant interviews, and 34 focus groups with more than 300 community members across the five study contexts - all of which provide the foundation for the recommendations and operational tools developed through this project. You can read the final study report, the results of our global localisation survey, and case studies from Somalia, NW Syria, Malawi, Bangladesh and Democratic Republic of Congo on the Beyond Barriers website. https://bit.ly/4f3QB4W

We are delighted to be nominated at the Good Governance Awards alongside our esteemed colleagues in the Irish nonprofit sector. Best of luck to all the finalists on November 21!

For our colleagues and supporters in Bangladesh - save the date for this photography exhibition in Dhaka!

For the community of Vati Kapasia in Sundarganj, Bangladesh, life is a relentless struggle against the threat of losing their homes and croplands to riverbank erosion. Currently, the char is home to more than 700 families, around 500 of whom have migrated here over the past decade after losing their land to the encroaching rivers. The community sustains themselves through fishing, growing jute, and raising cattle and poultry, but they need support to build their capacities for flood resilience. With support from Z Zurich Foundation, Concern Worldwide has been implementing the Flood Resilience Programme in this flood prone area as part of the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, focusing on strengthening the capacity of communities to anticipate, prepare for mitigating loss and damage and recover from floods. From October 30 to November 1 in Dhaka, Concern Bangladesh presents “Surging Hope - Stories of Climate Resilience” - a photo exhibition telling the stories of flood-prone communities in northern Bangladesh through the imagery of renowned photographer Saikat Mojumder. This exhibition will portray the ongoing struggles of these communities, as well as their courage and determination to become more resilient against the impacts of climate change. Save the date: 📆 October 30 - November 1 🕕 3pm-9pm 📍 Aloki (Shala gallery), 211, Gulshan-Tejgaon Link Road, Dhaka

Wairimu Munyinyi-Wahome, Concern's Kenya Country Director speaking passionately with Áine Lawlor about Concern Worldwide's work in many of our fragile contexts and the dynamics at play behind gender inequality and in support of positive change. Wairimu said: "We are hopeful and optimistic for a better life." Thank you to all the incredible businesses who supported #WomenofConcern24 this year and in particular to our event sponsor EY. You enable us to continue to achieve impact in our drive to reach communities in extreme poverty, to keep girls in school, to support families fleeing conflict, to fight malnutrition and tackle unequal access to even basic levels of healthcare. Thank you all 🙏

And that's a wrap! Thank you to everybody who attended and contributed to this year's #WomenOfConcern24 - we are honoured to work with such passionate, involved partners and supporters who are committed to supporting our mission of ending extreme poverty, whatever it takes, and reducing inequalities. A special thanks to our MC Áine Lawlor, our speakers Dr Mary Coghlan and Wairimu Munyinyi-Wahome , our 2024 honouree Dr. Salome Mbugua , and our sponsors EY. For more information on our work in gender equality, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dX-yVWjh

Concern’s country director in Kenya, Wairimu Munyinyi Wahome, joined our #WomenOfConcern MC Áine Lawlor to discuss the importance of gender equality in our country programmes. “I truly believe that if we address at least 50% of the issues that affect women and girls in this world, in the countries where we work, many of our development problems would be solved, and many of the issues that we have around conflict and instability would be solved.” She also told attendees of the awards luncheon that getting young girls to stay in school and complete their education was key in achieving equality and a stronger future for all. #WomenOfConcern24 Wairimu Munyinyi-Wahome EY

Dr Salome Mgubua has been living in Ireland for 30 years, but when she arrived, she experienced discrimination, racism and isolation. Her experience, plus her work in women in Uganda, inspired her to connect with other women in Ireland who were dealing with the same struggles. Dr Mgubua started AkiDwA Ireland (Akina Dada wa Africa), a national network for migrant women in Ireland. AkiDwA's mission is to see a world where there is equal opportunity and access to resources in all aspects of society. We are delighted that Dr Mgubua is our honouree at today's #WomenOfConcern Awards in Dublin, with attendees getting to hear about her incredible work and dedication to advancing the rights of women and girls. #WOC24 #WomenOfConcern24 Dr. Salome Mbugua EY