30th Conference of the Parties (COP30): The African Development Bank Highlights the essential role of climate finance for conflict-affected countries

 

The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) is playing a key role in supporting conflict-affected countries facing climate disruptions, Bank officials emphasised during a COP30 panel discussion on 12 November in Belém.

Through its Climate Action Window, established in 2022, the Bank Group has supported 41 projects worth $322 million and mobilised an additional $1.6 billion in co-financing, while building an adaptation pipeline of nearly $2 billion, according to Kevin Kariuki, Bank Vice-President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth.

Kariuki spoke during “Bridging the Gap: Making Climate Finance Work for the Underserved,” a side event co-organised by ODI Global and the United Nations Climate Security Mechanism.

“We must ensure that climate finance benefits the most underserved populations, especially those living in areas where security crises overlap with climate distress,” said Rebecca Nadin, Director of Global Risks and Resilience at ODI Global.

The session brought together leaders from climate finance institutions, government representatives, and multilateral development agencies to explore ways to scale up climate finance for countries most vulnerable to climate change, particularly those affected by conflict.

Oumar Gadji Soumaila, Director General of Chad’s Special Environmental Fund, stressed that “climate investments in conflict-affected areas are often the only support they receive, hence their essential nature.” He pointed to communities around Lake Chad where climate financing has been vital for survival amid ongoing insecurity.

The Climate Action Window, created during the African Development Fund’s 16th replenishment with contributions from Germany, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, and Norway, dedicates funds exclusively to low-income, fragile and climate-vulnerable countries. The African Development Fund is the concessional lending arm of the African Development Bank Group

The funding breakdown reflects these nations’ urgent needs:

• 75% allocated to adaptation projects
• 15% to mitigation efforts
• 10% to technical assistance
• 64% of adaptation financing provided as grants

Several African nations are advancing climate-security policies. Burkina Faso has already adopted a national framework, while the Liptako-Gourma Authority (https://LiptakoGourma.org)—bringing together Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—plans to adopt a regional policy by end-2026.

New Momentum at COP30

The Belém discussions generated fresh political momentum. Mauritania announced its intention to join the climate security platform, and Germany, Italy, Croatia and other countries pledged new contributions to the United Nations Climate Security Mechanism to help nations facing both security and climate crises.

The event highlighted opportunities for collective action to make climate finance more accessible and effective in fragile contexts, emphasising national platforms as central mechanisms for delivering support.

The CSM is a joint UN initiative involving departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, and Peace Operations, that is working to analyze climate-security links and develop response strategies.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).