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IMPACT Initiatives, notably via its REACH, AGORA, and PANDA initiatives, is increasingly committing research efforts to inform the aid community on how to tackle climate risk. The objective? To identify evidence-based solutions that can be applied in fragile contexts to strengthen the resilience of communities. How? By conducting scientifically robust risk assessments, working with local actors to develop a better understanding of risk, and building local analytical and communication capacities.

Our 2020 activities helped impact ground level operational planning, strategic planning and decision-making and bring about system-wide change. Our work was also most commonly cited by partners as “strongest added value”

IMPACT Initiatives shared key conclusions of its AGORA research in Ukraine at the annual UN RPP Board meeting, in an effort to inform local and national authorities and contribute to building a sustainable humanitarian exit strategy in this critical transitional period. Using the hromada as its main unit of analysis, the assessment surveyed close to 15,000 residents and 1,100 service providers in 23 hromadas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to understand recovery priorities from communities and evaluate barriers to quality service provision.

In March 2020 the Ugandan government took quick action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 across its borders. However, the recommended preventative behaviors were not met with broad acceptance in Uganda. IMPACT Initiative, as part of its participation to the U-Learn consortium, conducted a mixed-methods assessment to understand why.

Le Sud-Est de la République Centrafricaine apparaît comme particulièrement affecté par les conséquences d’une crise prolongée, entravant le développement socio-économique et déchirant les liens inter et intra-communautaires. L’accès aux services de base y est dégradé, les activités économiques réduites et la présence de l’État ténue. L’objectif des équipes AGORA sur place? Améliorer le quotidien de 200 000 bénéficiaires d’ici juin 2022, en s’appuyant sur des Plans de relèvement local.

In Eastern Ukraine, the impacts of climate change were felt throughout summer all the way to autumn 2020. Droughts, heat waves, water depletion, and dust storms jointly contributed to the largescale wildfires that particularly affected Luhansk Oblast. These climate risks severely compound an already precarious situation in a region that has been suffering from the effects of protracted violence since 2014.

To support aid organizations and local partners in putting this concept into practice, IMPACT Initiatives and partners of the Urban Settlements Working Group released the “Settlements Approach Guidance Note” in December 2020.

On the 9th of August, the ACTED and IMPACT teams in Niger lost seven young and talented team members: Antonin, Boubakar, Charline, Leo, Myriam, Nadifa and Stella. Our colleagues were united by a motivation to provide humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable populations in Niger. Three of them, Antonin, Charline and Stella, did so with IMPACT, collecting vital information from vulnerable populations to ensure that their voices are heard when humanitarians make decisions that affect them. While they were all driven by commitment, empathy, and solidarity, they each brought their own capacities and talents to enrich the team.