The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have launched the Alliance for the Amazon, a ten-year program (2025–2035) aimed at strengthening disaster risk reduction and climate resilience through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across the Amazon rainforest. The initiative, announced at COP30 in Brazil, seeks to raise the first 10 million Swiss francs (approximately 12 million USD) to begin its initial phase, targeting communities at risk from wildfires, droughts, floods, extreme temperatures, socioeconomic challenges, and displacement. By combining humanitarian action with environmental science, the program intends to protect both people and nature.
The Alliance for the Amazon, established nearly a year ago, is a long-term, collaborative effort uniting communities, Indigenous Peoples, governments, and organizations committed to safeguarding the region. Convened by the IFRC, the network emphasizes local presence and regional leadership, pooling knowledge, resources, and partnerships to foster a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive Amazon. It particularly seeks to bridge humanitarian, environmental, and development sectors to address complex climate and societal challenges.
Over the past year, the IFRC has conducted Amazonian Knowledge System Dialogues in Bolivia and Colombia, bringing together community leaders, scientists, and Red Cross teams to co-design locally led solutions. These dialogues, coupled with joint analyses with expert partners such as TNC, have informed a regional program framework and pilot projects focused on ecosystem restoration, climate-smart agriculture, and community health. Loyce Pace, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas, highlighted that the Alliance embodies the Red Cross principles of humanity, trust, and localization, aiming to help communities not only respond to disasters and health crises but thrive amid a changing climate.
The Alliance’s program is structured around three strategic pillars emphasizing Locally Led Adaptation. The first pillar targets risk management and anticipatory climate action through local preparedness, inclusive governance, and effective early warning systems. The second focuses on sustainable and resilient livelihoods, supporting nature-based solutions, green economies, and food sovereignty. The third pillar promotes integral health and community well-being, linking physical, mental, and spiritual health with environmental stewardship.
Clare Shakya, TNC’s Global Climate Managing Director, emphasized that the partnership combines humanitarian and developmental approaches with environmental science to support those protecting the Amazon. Through ecosystem restoration, strengthened community leadership, investment in nature-based solutions, and addressing inequities in adaptation finance, the Alliance aims to help Amazonian communities adapt and thrive while preserving biodiversity and climate systems.
The Alliance invites governments, organizations, corporations, Indigenous Peoples, and communities to join and contribute to advancing climate resilience, humanitarian action, and sustainable development across the Amazon. With the engagement of National Red Cross Societies in the nine Amazonian countries and partnerships with TNC and other key actors, the initiative seeks to benefit 4 million people over the next decade, emphasizing local leadership, intercultural dialogue, and long-term collaboration as essential components for addressing one of the most complex humanitarian and environmental challenges globally.
