New York, 12 November 2024 —  As world leaders gather in Baku for COP29, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is calling for the EU and broader international community to take immediate, bold and decisive action to address the devastating impacts of climate change on conflict-affected communities.

The IRC has identified 17 countries at the epicentre of climate vulnerability and conflict. Those countries account for just 3.5% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, they are home to  10.5% of the global population, a third of all people affected by natural disasters, and 71% of those in humanitarian need globally. 

This convergence is reinforced by the compounding impact of climate change, which acts as a threat multiplier for vulnerable communities - deepening food insecurity, threatening livelihoods and inflaming community tensions.  

It is clear that the global systems designed to address the intersecting crises of conflict, climate change and extreme poverty are failing the very communities they are meant to protect. The resources being directed towards them are not only insufficient, but are being deployed in a haphazard way. Urgent reforms are needed if climate action is to work for all.

The IRC calls on COP29 attendees to: 

  1. Increase funding for resilience, adaptation, and anticipatory action in communities grappling with conflict and climate change: For example, the IRC has implemented innovative solutions to foster greater resilience, including working with agro-pastoral communities across Niger, Pakistan,South Sudan and Syria to strengthen seed security in the face of climate shocks like drought, and anticipatory action programs in Nigeria and elsewhere to predict climate impacts like flooding and distribute assistance before disaster strikes.   
  2. Target climate financing: Ensure climate finance reaches underserved communities and complements development and humanitarian efforts. This will help to address disparities in funding for stable and unstable contexts. 18% of all adaptation finance for developing countries should be earmarked specifically for climate vulnerable and conflict-affected countries. We also recommend a 50-50 split between mitigation and adaptation finance, as well as treating funding for responding to property loss and for loss and damage as a separate target, with easier access for conflict-affected countries. 
  3. Embrace more flexible partnerships: Build and operationalise a more flexible, people-centric climate finance partnership model that prioritises local actors and community engagement, including the use of public-private partnerships and the direct funding of civil society organisations. These efforts should prioritise working with local organisations led by women or other marginalised groups. 

Ken Sofer, IRC Director of Public Advocacy says:
“The failure to make climate action work for climate-vulnerable, conflict-affected communities is one of the biggest climate injustices COP29 needs to address. These communities are the least responsible for the climate crisis, the most impacted, and the least supported by the status quo approach to climate action. 

COP29 offers a critical opportunity to turn words into action and ensure that the most vulnerable communities receive the resources and support they need to break the toxic feedback loop of climate vulnerability and conflict. There are evidence-based solutions like anticipatory cash and seed security strengthening that can limit the harm of the climate crisis even amidst conflict. The question for global leaders at COP29 is whether they’re willing to break from an unjust status quo and make climate action work for people living at the epicenter of the crisis.”