Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate Action


Every person, in every country in every continent will be impacted in some shape or form by climate change. There is a climate cataclysm looming, and we are underprepared for what this could mean.

Climate change is caused by human activities and threatens life on earth as we know it. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated. Its impacts can be devastating and include extreme and changing weather patterns and rising sea levels.

If left unchecked, climate change will undo a lot of the development progress made over the past years. It will also provoke mass migrations that will lead to instability and wars.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels, emissions must already be decreasing and need to be cut by almost half by 2030, just seven years away. But, we are drastically off track from this target.

Urgent and transformative going beyond mere plans and promises are crucial. It requires raising ambition, covering entire economies and moving towards climate-resilient development, while outlining a clear path to achieve net-zero emissions. Immediate measures are necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

Regional Assistance Treaty on Food Emergencies

TAREA T g

Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development

RCMRD 1975 Nairobi Kenya E g

Regional Centre for Training and Water Studies of Arid and Semiarid Zones, Cairo

RCTWS 2002 Cairo Egypt G g

Regional Conference on Migration

RCM 1996 San José Costa Rica E g

Regional Disaster Information Center for Latin America and the Caribbean

1990 E

Regional Gateway for Technology Transfer and Climate Change Action

REGATTA Panama Panama F

Regional Humid Tropics Hydrology and Water Resources Centre for South East Asia and the Pacific

HTC 1996 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia E g

Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Information and Training Centre - Wider Caribbean

REMPEITC-Carib 1994 Willemstad Curaçao E g

Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea

REMPEC 1976 Floriana Malta E g

Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes

ReNAPRI 2012 Lusaka Zambia F j

Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements

CITYNET 1987 Seoul Korea Rep F y

Regional Water Centre for Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of Latin America and the Caribbean

2003 La Serena Chile G g

Regions of Climate Action

R20 2010 Geneva Switzerland C

Regions4 Sustainable Development

Regions4 2002 Brussels Belgium F

Relief International

1990 Los Angeles CA USA G

reNature Foundation

2018 Amsterdam Netherlands G f

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership

REEEP 2002 Vienna Austria F

Reproductive Health Access, Information and Services in Emergencies

RAISE New York NY USA G

Research Data Alliance

RDA 2013 Didcot UK C

Réseau de prévention des crises alimentaires

RPCA 1985 Paris France F y

Réseau régional d'Aires Marines Protégées en Afrique de l'Ouest

RAMPAO 2007 Dakar Senegal F g

Réseau Sahel Désertification

ReSaD 2010 Ouagadougou Burkina Faso F

Resilient40

2019 Kampala Uganda F

Responding to Climate Change

RTCC 2002 London UK J

RET International

2000 Geneva Switzerland F

Reverse the Red

J y

Rewilding Europe

2011 F

RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment

EEIE Milan Italy G j

RICS Europe

1993 Brussels Belgium E

Right Livelihood Foundation

1980 Enskede Sweden F f

RIPESS Europe - Economy Solidarity Europe

RIPESS Europe 2011 Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourg E y

Risk Prediction Initiative

RPI 1993 St George Bermuda N

River Cleanup

2019 Antwerp Belgium G

RiverWatch

2011 Vienna Austria G

Road Scholar - Elderhostel

1975 Boston MA USA G

Rotary International

RI 1905 Evanston IL USA F

Round Table on Responsible Soy Association

RTRS 2006 Zurich Switzerland C

Roundtable for Reusable Containers Trays and Pallets

RCTP Brussels Belgium F t

Rural Investment Support for Europe Foundation

RISE Foundation 2006 Brussels Belgium F f

SAHARA for Life Trust

Lahore Pakistan G

Sahara Resource Network

2001 Port Elizabeth South Africa G

Saharan Studies Association

SSA 1992 Stanford CA USA G

Sail For Ethics

S4E 1996 Court-Saint-Etienne Belgium G

Save the Orangutan

Copenhagen Denmark D

Science Based Targets Network

2014 J y

Science Europe

2011 Brussels Belgium D

SDG Watch Europe

F y

Sea Alarm Foundation

1999 Brussels Belgium F f

Sea Change Foundation International

2011 N f

SEAMEO Regional Centre for Quality Improvement of Teachers and Education Personnel in Science

SEAMEO QITEP in Science 2009 Bandung Indonesia E gv

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