Summary

This report addresses challenges related to climate finance distribution in conflict-affected countries, where vulnerabilities to climate change are significantly exacerbated. Conflict reduces the ability of populations to adapt, making effective climate finance even more critical. Yet despite increasing global climate finance commitments, conflict-affected countries consistently receive disproportionately low amounts of assistance compared to non-conflict-affected countries with similar income levels and climate vulnerabilities.

Key messages

This analysis reveals significant disparities in climate adaptation official development assistance (ODA)

• Although the total volume of climate finance has increased, there is a disparity between committed and disbursed amounts, with disbursements in the period 2015–21 consistently falling to around 40 to 50 per cent below the pledged commitments.
• Notable disparities in per capita climate adaptation ODA can be seen between countries, with the highest values in small island developing states (SIDS) sometimes exceeding $100 per capita per year, while other countries receive less than $1 per capita per year.
• Non-conflict-affected countries receive more climate adaptation ODA per capita compared to conflict-affected countries with similar income and vulnerability levels, even after adjusting for population size.
• The most conflict-affected countries, especially those highly vulnerable to climate change, receive less adaptation ODA per capita than other countries.
• A significant portion of climate ODA is labelled as ‘regional’ or ‘bilateral unspecified’, contributing to gaps in accurate per capita assessments and raising concerns about fund distribution.
• Data limitations and unallocated funds impede transparency and accuracy in climate finance assessments

Citation

Meijer, K. Ahmad, A. S. (2024). Unveiling challenges and gaps in climate finance in conflict areas, SIPRI and Mistra Geopolitics, https://doi.org/10.55163/AMVV6022