Breaking the Cycle: Unlocking Climate Finance for Fragile States

A farmer working with crops. — Agricultural livelihoods, like Lami’s farming, have been devastated by ongoing conflict in northeast Nigeria. Earning a stable living is difficult and food shortages are a regular occurrence, she says.

January 11, 2023

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Many fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS) are highly vulnerable to climate change - yet the more fragile a country is, the less climate finance it has historically received.

The challenges to accessing and utilizing climate adaptation finance in FCS have been well documented. These can be mapped onto a life-cycle framework, from the strategies driving climate funders’ low risk appetite and tolerance in working in FCS, to the stringent requirements for funding access, project approval and partnerships that limit planning and development of the program, the inflexible operational protocols that hinder adaptive implementation and delivery, and the data and travel restrictions that make it difficult to monitor project progress and measure outcomes.

Whilst our understanding of the difficulties in delivering climate finance in fragile and conflict-affected situations has increased, the question remains: what can be done to overcome them? This report showcases innovative solutions that climate funders could seek to adopt to improve their reach and impact in FCS.