STATEMENT FROM THE IEACF NETWORK AT COP30
 

The Improved and Equitable Access to climate finance (IEACF) Network was established one year ago, to address an urgent blind spot at the heart of climate finance: the lack of support to people living in countries affected by conflict, fragility or high levels of humanitarian need. While these countries are among the most vulnerable to climate impacts, they only receive only 10% of global climate finance.

 

The IEACF Network is the first climate network to be established and led by countries affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need. It was formed in November 2024 to provide a unifying voice for countries facing the double vulnerability of conflict and climate change, and to call for collective action and system-wide reform to scale up climate finance and support.

​

One year on, funding to countries affected by conflict, fragility, severe impacts of climate change, or high levels of humanitarian need remains far below what is needed, and is projected to remain insufficient for what our countries require to adapt and build resilience to the negative impacts of climate change.

 

At COP30, we fully support efforts to mobilise at least $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate action in developing countries, and give our full support to the COP29 and COP30 presidencies, and circle of finance ministers responsible for developing the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap.

​

We are also encouraged by COP30’s commitment to put people at the heart of climate action, and to focus on adaptation, which in our countries is much needed.

​​

In this spirit, we also call:

• for continued attention to how climate finance is being allocated. Climate finance must be allocated more equitably, to support those who are the most vulnerable and least prepared to adapt to climate impacts. At a time of constrained ODA and climate budgets, it is critical to allocate the funding that exists more effectively. In this vein, MDBs and climate funds must continue dialogue and efforts to amend their application processes and vulnerability metrics, and to support countries in building their capacity to apply for and use climate finance.

• for climate finance to be spent on projects that help build broad resilience, and not only cope with crises. Currently the majority of climate finance to places affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need is spent on responding in the aftermath of disasters, but this will not help countries build the resilience needed to respond to future climate shocks.

• that the specific vulnerabilities of people affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need are not treated as an afterthought. Climate initiatives need to stop treating fragility as context, but rather as a critical factor in determining people’s vulnerability to climate change.

​​

Climate funds and projects must respond to the unique needs of people affected conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need.
While the situation remains dire for countries affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need, we are heartened by signs of progress:

​​

We are honoured to welcome three new countries to the Improved and Equitable Access to Climate Finance Network: the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and the Republic of South Sudan. The accession of these three countries is testament to the increasing urgency and political momentum of this issue.

​​

And we are gratified by the launch of a new UNFCCC needs-based finance project which is supporting five countries affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need to access climate finance.

​​

People affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need must not be sidelined by climate action. Hundreds of millions of the world’s most climate-vulnerable people live in places affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need: they must not be locked out.