Cologne. The international relief organization of the Order of Malta, Malteser International, signed the joint climate charter for international relief organizations and commits to operate all 28 locations in a climate-neutral way by 2027.
"Our job is not just to help people adapt to climate change and help those affected by climate disasters. We must also make our own contribution to halting climate change and reducing the impact of our work on the environment. We have to and want to take responsibility at this juncture," says Clemens Graf von Mirbach-Harff, Secretary General of Malteser International.
Malteser International has signed the so-called "Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations", which was initiated by the International Committee of the Red Cross. With this charter, the organization commits itself to reduce its own CO2 emissions and support ecologically sustainable humanitarian work and climate-sensitive projects. As a first step, Malteser International has already started, among other things, to offset flights and have offices and staff accommodation built from climate-neutral rice straw. In some areas of the projects the power supply was switched to solar, and the waste consumption of medical consumables reduced.
"It would be an unsustainable contradiction for us to help people with the effects of climate change and at the same time put additional pressure on the environment with this work," says Graf Mirbach-Harff.
Malteser International is the worldwide relief organization of the Sovereign Order of Malta for humanitarian aid. The organization provides aid to people in need in around 100 projects in 30 countries, regardless of their religion, origin or political convictions. Christian values and the humanitarian principles of impartiality and independence form the basis of its work. Further information: www.malteser-international.org
Attention editorial offices:
Photos can be downloaded here: click here
Clemens Graf von Mirbach-Harff, Secretary General of Malteser International is available for interviews and sound bites.
Operator: +49 (0)221 98227 181, katharina.kiecol@malteser-international.org
