The following text is a summary of a press release by Oxfam International on 5 December 2023. Read the full document here.
Through analysing climate finance provided to 37 fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS) in 2019-20, we find that the scale of finance going to these contexts is far below what is needed, at an average of 13.64 USD per person per year, and much of it is of poor quality. Despite being responsible for a small proportion of emissions, in 2019-20, over half of the climate finance for FCAS came in the form of debt-creating instruments such as loans, and almost one-tenth was provided as non-concessional loans. The case studies presented here (from Iraq, Syria, Somaliland and Burkina Faso) illustrate the complexities of accessing climate finance and delivering climate projects and programmes in countries facing conflict, but they also point towards solutions such as increasing small grants to local actors and communities to build resilience; much better collaboration and coordination between humanitarian, peace and climate actors in these settings; and the need for climate funds, such as the new Loss and Damage Fund, to embed conflict-sensitivity in their programmes and change their definition of risk for these settings. Without these changes, countries and communities experiencing conflict or living in places with inadequate governance will continue to be left behind in the fight for climate justice.