November 11, 2024 —  As world leaders gather in Baku for COP29, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is calling for immediate, bold and decisive action to address the devastating impacts of climate change on conflict-affected communities. 

The IRC identifies 17 countries^ at the epicenter of climate vulnerability and conflict. Those countries are home to just 10.5% of the global population and 3.5% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, but one-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, a threat multiplier for vulnerable communities by deepening food insecurity, threatening livelihoods and inflaming community tensions. 

Just as the impacts of climate change are not experienced equally among countries, the impacts are spread unevenly within countries as well. For instance, climate shocks like droughts and flooding can damage the livelihoods and economic security of rural and pastoralist communities, which can overlap with existing political, economic and societal marginalization as seen in places like the Central Sahel. 

As world leaders gather in Azerbaijan for COP29, the UN-led annual climate negotiations, critical decisions will be made about the future direction of global climate action, including what to prioritize, how to fund it and how to deliver it. It would be a failure to reinforce the existing imbalances between stable and fragile communities that intensify injustices and leave climate-vulnerable, conflict-affected communities unsupported in the face of compounding crises.

The IRC calls on COP29 attendees to: 

  1. Increase funding for resilience, adaptation, and anticipatory action in communities grappling with conflict and climate change. Examples of the sort of adaptation and resilience solutions that need greater investment include: strengthening seed security in the face of climate shocks; bolstering anticipatory action programs to anticipate and stymy the impact of predictable climate hazards; and bolstering disaster risk reduction to minimize damage from climate hazards.
  2. Target Climate Financing: Ensure climate finance reaches underserved communities and complements development and humanitarian efforts, by earmarking 18% of all adaptation finance for climate vulnerable and conflict-affected countries; establishing a 50-50 sub-target balance between mitigation and adaptation finance, and ensuring loss and damage funds are accessible to conflict-affected countries through partnerships with civil society and local actors. 
  3. Embrace More Flexible Partnerships:  Delivering climate adaptation in conflict-affected regions requires a people-first approach, with flexible partnerships that prioritize local actors who understand the needs and dynamics of these communities. To truly reach the most vulnerable, donors must move beyond the traditional exclusive reliance on national governments and embrace a more flexible approach to delivery partners. This means enhancing partnerships with NGOs that can access communities that are beyond the reach of governments, particularly in fragile settings.

“The failure to make climate action work for climate-vulnerable, conflict-affected communities is one of the biggest climate injustices COP29 needs to address, said Ken Sofer, Director of Public Advocacy at IRC. “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.” 

^ - Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.