BAKU, Azerbaijan (Reuters) – A group of conflict-affected countries are pushing to double the financial aid they receive to more than $20 billion a year to combat the effects of natural disasters and security crises facing their populations, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The group is one of several demonstrating this week in search of funds to better prepare for impacted conditions.
Island nations, for example, argue that climate change threatens their very existence as seas rise, while tropical forest nations say they need more money to protect their forest assets.
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Countries immersed in conflicts and their consequences say they have had difficulty accessing private investment, as they are seen as too risky. This means that UN funds are even more essential for their populations, many of whom have been displaced by climate and war, like .
In response to this, the Azerbaijani Presidency at COP29 launches this Friday a new “Network of Climate Vulnerable Countries”, including several countries that belong to the g7+, an intergovernmental group of fragile countries, which was the first to send the appeal .
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The network aims to act as a cohesive group alongside climate finance institutions; develop the capacity of member states so that they can absorb more financing; and create national platforms so that investors can more easily find high-impact projects to invest in, said the organization ODI Global, which helped countries create the network.
Burundi, Chad, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Timor-Leste and Yemen have already joined the initiative, but all 20 g7+ members have been invited.
“My hope is that this will create a real platform for countries in need,” said Abdullahi Khalif, Somalia’s chief climate negotiator, on the sidelines of the talks in Baku.
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The move follows a letter sent by the g7+ to the United Nations, the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund and the COP presidencies last month asking for more support.
In it, the group demanded an explicit commitment in any final agreement on finance at COP29 to double funding to help them adapt to climate change to at least $20 billion a year by 2026.
Although 45 of the world’s least developed countries have their own negotiating group at the UN, which includes some of the g7+ countries, conflict-affected states face distinct difficulties, advocates said.
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“A flood situation in South Sudan or Somalia generates more catastrophes than in any other developing country,” said Habib Mayar, deputy secretary general of g7+, who helped coordinate the letter.
By 2022, a child born in South Sudan, which has been at war since 2013, was 38 times more likely to be internally displaced by climate-related disasters than a European or North American child, according to Unicef data.
However, conflict-affected countries received just $8.4 billion in climate finance in 2022 – about a quarter of what is needed, according to a 2024 analysis by ODI Global.
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“It’s clear that climate funds are not doing enough to support the world’s most climate-vulnerable people,” said Mauricio Vazquez, ODI Global’s head of policy for global risks and resilience.
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