Bridging climate action and conflict areas: a new hope from COP29

Climate change exacerbates crises in already vulnerable conflict-affected regions. Annika Erickson-Pearson, a community organiser specialising in multilateral climate policy, played a pivotal role in introducing a groundbreaking policy document aimed at enhancing climate action in conflict-areas. Switzerland endorsed these principles at the recent COP29 talks in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Across the media, very little positive news came out of COP29 in Baku. But the newly-introduced “Common Principles for Effective Climate Finance and Action for Relief, Recovery, and Peace”External link is one of them. This policy document, which the Swiss government endorsed, builds a bridge from COP28, trying to further work for climate action and finance in fragile and conflict-affected environments. These settings are bearing the brunt of the impact of climate change but consistently do not receive support.

These principles, which outline how climate finance and action are most effective in situations of fragility, conflict and severe humanitarian need, are the following:

• Understand people and place for enduring, impactful outcomes;
• Be agile to maintain and boost resilience;
• Prioritise local ownership and leadership by affected groups;
• Support collaboration and synergies.

They are intentionally not new ideas. Indeed, they are exactly what you might find in reports from major United Nations agencies, international peacebuilding organisations, and even increasingly in the strategies of major climate funders. The policy has support from government and multilateral funders, but also tiny frontline organisations in conflict-affected areas. 

Conflict-areas underrepresented in climate policies

I serve as the coordinator of a community of practice called the ECCPExternal link, which gathers over 900 people around the world working on environmental degradation, climate change, violent conflict and peace issues. For many of our community members, the intertwining relationship between climate change and conflict is a real and regular part of life and work. In Somalia, for instance, competition over natural resources like water has driven violent conflict between farmers and herders. In Yemen, where climate action has often been deprioritised due to armed conflict and severe humanitarian needs, members of civil societyExternal link continue to highlight the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Hassan Yasin, leader of the Somali Greenpeace Association, and Mohammed Abdulrahman, programme coordinator for Cordaid and the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding in Yemen, were both in COP29 in Baku this year to urge negotiators to keep countries like Somalia and Yemen in mind as they consider climate finance and action. Almost half the world’s populationExternal link (3.3-3.6 billion people) live in “hotspots” of high vulnerability to climate change. Over the last 20 years, people in the most climate-vulnerable countries experiencing ongoing crises received just $1 per personExternal link in multilateral climate funds, while those in more stable regions received nearly five times more ($4.88 per person). Meaningful climate action can only be achieved if it reaches these volatile and conflict-affected contexts, despite the challenges inherent to working in them.  

So why would a set of principles that restate the ordinary give me hope? 

The next, essential step

Five years ago, peace and conflict were not chosen by the COP presidency as a priority issue. And yet, over the past five years, their relevance has slowly grown in recognition as a challenge worthy of our attention. The past two COP presidencies, in DubaiExternal link and BakuExternal link, even declared entire thematic days devoted to peace, relief and recovery issues. Alongside those declarationsExternal link, we’ve seen small, promising signs that we are moving in the right direction. The largest multilateral climateExternal link and environment fundsExternal link are taking concrete steps to get better quality, conflict-sensitive funding to these hard-hit areas including those experiencing conflict. Other fundersExternal link are putting effort into getting funding as directly as possible to the local levelExternal link. Each year, we must continue to put these issues on the agenda, advancing the conversation one step closer towards the future we want.

Providing common ground

The Common PrinciplesExternal link create a platform for discussion and show different governments, financial institutions, UN agencies, and non-profit organisations exactly that: what they have in common. Switzerland endorsed the principles, alongside massive financial institutions like the Green Climate Fund, the African Development Bank, other governments such as the UK and Germany, and dozens of small civil society organisations dealing with these issues on the frontlines of the climate crisis. The more normalised this topic becomes across a diverse range of actors, the more financial providers must engage in it. These principles foster a common space for endorsers, including governments and NGOs alike, to come together in dialogue on the practical realities of global challenges.

Imperfect demonstration that policymaking can be more inclusive

Incremental change is usually not glamorous, and is often not the news that makes it to your timeline, but it matters. Each COP tells a unique story, yet we often hear more about the failed negotiations than the small victories, the connections made between well-intentioned individuals and the incremental progress achieved. At its best, multilateralism is a web of human relationships and trust; COP is a gathering place to continue to weave that web. The Common Principles represent a process of relationship and trust building over time towards real change. They stand out for the diversity of their endorsements, the transparency of their development process, and their focus on placing those most affected at the heart of finance and action.

The impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution do not discriminate based on country code. These challenges simply will not stop; and so we must find ways to sustain action and energy over the long term. The Common Principles are a perfect example of the web of incremental, multilateral change. These principles are part of a multi-year effort to build trust and drive real financial investment for climate action where it’s most needed. Unlike most policies, they are endorsed by both major financial institutions and small NGOs from conflict zones. Crafted by a mix of frontline actors and financial decision-makers, they ensure that both perspectives are central to addressing the climate crisis.

As a member of a community which attempts to ensure that the seemingly abstract global discussions within massive multilateral spaces are connected with the reality of contexts, I know there is a long way to goExternal link, but these Common Principles give me hope.

You can read the full text, including details of how to put the principles into practice, here.External link

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of SWI swissinfo.ch.