Corus organization Lutheran World Relief works through the Transboundary Flood Resilience Project to prepare communities in the Gandak and Koshi river basins for impending floods during the monsoon season and enables them to recover quickly from the shocks to their livelihoods. (Photo credit: Jake Lyell)

COP26: Lutheran World Relief’s Reaction to U.S. Government’s Renewed Climate Commitments

BALTIMORE, Nov. 3, 2021 — Lutheran World Relief and our Corus International family of organizations welcome President Biden’s declaration at COP26 for renewed U.S. leadership in the global fight against climate change. With the launch of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), the U.S. Government commits to strengthening climate resilience while addressing the inequitable impacts of climate change through sustainable development and humanitarian assistance.

Across the globe, poor and vulnerable communities face compounding crises. With extreme weather events, COVID-19, conflicts and food insecurity, unprecedented humanitarian needs are soaring in fragile settings. Millions of people who already bear the greatest burden from the climate crisis cannot wait. Together, we must address the existing and imminent impacts of climate change.

Organizations in the Corus family have been dedicated to building climate resilience for more than 70 years. Because climate change impacts all aspects of life, we integrate climate adaptation into our holistic approaches to economic development, public health and humanitarian assistance. We believe that promoting climate smart agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and stronger health systems are key to growing healthy and resilient communities and economies in the face of climate change. We prioritize strengthening local capacities to that end, advancing global health security and fostering sustainable production landscapes that support producers, consumers and the environment. When climate-related disasters strike, we respond to meet immediate needs and then transition our support into increasing community resilience to future climate shocks and stressors over the long-term.

Corus International applauds the U.S. Government’s leadership in addressing climate change through PREPARE’s release. We look forward to continuing our long-standing partnerships with the U.S. and foreign governments, civil society and the private sector to support countries and communities in vulnerable situations to adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change.