TRACKING LOSS AND DAMAGE FUND AND
PLEDGES AT COP 28
PUBLIC DOCUMENT ACCESSIBLE TO THE MEDIA
LOSS AND DAMAGE PLEDGES AT COP28
The Loss and Damage Fund was agreed at the opening plenary on the first day of COP 28 (30 November 2023). A number of countries pledged funds to the Loss and Damage Fund as indicated in the table below. Noting that it can be difficult to ascertain quickly the details of any new pledge made, including important information such as whether the pledge is a) new and additional finance, b) will be provided as grants, and c) the period of time the funds are expected to cover, the following is a reaction from Loss and Damage Collaboration members to the information at hand.
- After 30 years of effort, from developing countries on the frontline of climate impacts and from civil society, a Loss and Damage Fund has been agreed in the UNFCCC.
- The Loss and Damage Fund—whilst not perfect—is a critical step towards climate justice and will play a vital role in supporting developing countries and communities on the front line of climate impacts.
- The crucial step now that the Fund has been operationalised here at COP28 is that developed countries—the wealthy, historical polluters—fill the Fund! They must make and deliver pledges to get the Fund up and running, and begin to resource it.
- Pledges in the form of public grants at a scale to allow developing countries and communities to address the loss and damage they are facing from climate change right now are vital.
- Acknowledging that loss and damage needs right now are in the order of $400 billion a year, the Fund should play a key role in delivering funding of this magnitude. Therefore initial pledges must be made in the context of this scale.
- The Loss and Damage Fund being capitalised at anything less than $100 billion a year[1] indicates a “business as usual” approach, with rich countries expecting developing countries and communities on the frontline of climate impacts to continue to pay for the loss and damage from climate change themselves, which is a massive climate injustice.
- As important as scale is to ensure any money pledged and delivered to the Loss and Damage Fund is new and additional. Redirecting funds from existing climate finance or development cooperation is counter productive. Developing countries need support to reduce their emissions and transition to a clean economy, they need funding for adaptation - which is falling desperately short - in order to minimise loss and damage. Redirecting from these priorities, or from existing development and humanitarian spending, to fill the Loss and Damage Fund makes no sense and will be counter productive.
- It is also essential that funds are delivered and provided as grants and not loans. Loans are not appropriate for loss and damage and will simply exacerbate the debt crisis facing many climate vulnerable countries.
- In addition to pledges from developed countries, it will be essential to leave COP28 with clear pathways forward on new sources of funding (so-called ‘innovative sources’) that are based on the polluter pays principle —such as taxing the fossil fuel industry, a frequent flyer levy, a tax on international shipping fuel, a global wealth tax or financial transaction tax. Such taxes and levies should be fairly implemented so that costs fall on the big polluters that can afford them, and not on ordinary citizens.
- Disappointingly, it is possible that the World Bank will be the interim host of the Fund for the first four years. It will have to meet a set of important criteria in order for this to happen. Including that countries and communities can directly access the Fund, that the Fund reports to the UNFCCC bodies (COP and CMA) and is bound by the principles of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. It is essential that the World Bank is concrete in how it will meet these conditions, and that all Parties put the necessary scrutiny to ensure it will. We will be watching closely, and start from a position of scepticism as these principles of equity are far removed from how the World Bank typically works. If the World Bank can’t meet these criteria, the Board of the Loss and Damage Fund has been empowered to take steps recommending a standalone Fund to the COP/CMA, similar to how the GCF works now. The Board must be proactive in starting the process to establish a standalone Fund if the World Bank is not clear that it will meet the conditions.
- Also disappointingly is the lack of guidance for the Board to take a human rights-based approach in the governing instrument, and the lack of board seats for frontline communities and civil society. It will be essential that COP 28 give the Loss and Damage Fund Board guidance to improve these elements, and that the Board address them at its first meeting in 2024.
- It is essential that the historic responsibility of developed countries - the wealthy, historical polluters - is acknowledged. They have primary responsibility to fill the Fund. Additionally, it is important that language is not used to water down responsibility - developing countries and frontline communities are facing loss and damage and the name of the Fund should reflect this in being called the Loss and Damage Fund.
This is not the end of the story for Loss and Damage at COP 28! For further information about the Loss and Damage Fund, and other important Loss and Damage negotiation elements at COP 28, including the Global Stocktake and the Santiago Network, see the Loss and Damage COP 28 briefing. And follow us at @lossanddamage on twitter/X for updates.
LOSS AND DAMAGE PLEDGE TRACKER COP28
The table below will track the Loss and Damage pledges made at COP28. For a blog comparing these pledges to need, and some other things, see here.
As at 8:00 GST 1 December total pledges are $770.6 million USD.
Of which, $115.3 million USD are identified for funding arrangements (not the Loss and Damage Fund itself). For conversion and calculation see here.
Who | When | How much | What | New and additional ? | Comments |
UAE | Opening plenary | 100 million USD | |||
EU Commission | 25 million EUR | Just Commission pledge | |||
US | Opening plenary | $17.5 million USD to the Fund $4.5m for Pacific Resilience Facility ** we are counting 50% of this funding as L&D - see comment ** $2.5 million for Santiago network | John Kerry described this as a commitment to the: “Climate Impacts and Response Fund” Pacific Resilience Facility will fund adaptation and loss and damage, therefore only a portion should count as L&D | ||
Germany | Opening plenary | $100 million USD | All grants and will be paid into the fund partly in 2024 and partly in 2025 | According to German definition new and additional | |
UK | Opening plenary | Up to 60 million GBP | 40 to the Fund 20 to funding arrangements | CAN tweet: No, part of existing commitment 11.6 bn | CAN UK reaction: https://x.com/CAN_UK_/status/1730225596565684341?s=20 |
Japan | Opening plenary | $10 million USD | |||
Canada | press huddle outside Canadian pavilion 10.30 1 Dec | $16 million CAD (11.6 m USD) | NOT NEW $ | https://twitter.com/COP28_UAE/status/1730518370091413682?s=20 | |
Norway | World Climate Action Summit | $ 25 Mio | |||
France | Leaders event on Transforming Climate Finance - Dec 1 15h45 | 100 million EUR | Will be delivered as grants. "up to" EUR 100 million to L&D "we will have to prepare to simplify the governance, this is why I say ‘up to’ we will have to distinguish between intermediate and poor countries". Also “The L&D Fund should not be a substitute for insurance and reinsurance”. | NEW AND ADDITIONAL TO EXISTING CLIMATE FINANCE (confirmed by French minister on Dec 2nd) | This is a situation to avoid. The future L&D Fund Board should make decisions based on needs of developing countries, not based on "contributors" pulling the strings (which is the World Bank model - and undermines the conditions agreed in the COP decision yesterday). Earlier in his speech Macron said it should be a national approach, determined nationally - which would seem to clash with his later statement. CAN France’s reaction (in French): https://x.com/RACFrance/status/1730670084618604544?s=20 |
Denmark | Danish media COP28: Denmark supports the most climate-vulnerable countries with USD 50 million | Udenrigsministeriet (ritzau.dk) | 350 million DKK (around 50 million USD): | |||
Italy | World Climate Action Summit pledge made by PM Meloni 2.45pm 1 Dec | 100 million Euros | |||
Netherlands | 15 million euros | 15 mln is additional to existing climate finance and to ODA 25 mln is from existing climate finance | |||
Spain | https://twitter.com/sanchezcastejon/status/1730619253101887632 | 20 million euros | |||
Slovenia | 1.5 million USD | ||||
Ireland | 25 million euros | ||||
Finland | 3 million euros | ||||
Australia | 8 Dec: | 100 million AUD (65.8m USD) ** we are counting 50% of this funding as L&D - see comment ** | for Pacific Resilience Facility | Not clear, but likely not | Pacific Resilience Facility will fund adaptation and loss and damage, therefore only a portion should count towards L&D |
LOSS AND DAMAGE COLLABORATION REACTIONS TO THE LOSS AND DAMAGE FUND AND PLEDGES MADE AT COP28
Members of the Loss and Damage Collaboration have provided the following reactions to the Loss and Damage Fund and pledges made at COP 28. In some cases these are directed at specific pledges.
WHO (+ contact details) | QUOTE | RELEVANT PLEDGE |
Julie-Anne Richards Strategy Lead, Loss and Damage Collaboration (L&DC) julieanne@lossanddamagecollaboration.org Whatsapp: +61 499 907 747 | The Loss and Damage Fund - whilst not perfect - is a critical step towards climate justice. It must quickly start supporting developing countries and communities who are on the front line of worsening heat waves, droughts, storms, floods, rising seas and other climate impacts. This will require developed countries - wealthy, historically high polluters - to fill the fund at scale. The pledges so far will allow the Fund to be set up, but are not at the scale needed. Not with money redirected from other climate priorities but new funds generated fairly, from big polluters. | Loss and Damage Fund announcement |
Liane Schalatek Associate Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation Washington, DC WhatsApp/Signal: +1-202-290-0956 | Approving the Fund at COP28 was the first, but insufficient step. A sad sign , though, that it apparently cannot even be called a Loss and Damage Fund. Nevertheless, now the real work begins to urgently deliver new, additional, adequate and predictable funding at scale directly to the people and communities already suffering from climate impacts including catastrophic losses and damage, respecting and protecting their rights and responding to their needs and priorities. For this, further work is needed to get them the fund they deserve as a matter of climate justice. Developed countries, having pushed for setting-up the Fund under the World Bank with the argument that this would help the Fund attract resources, have now to put their money – as grants and in large amounts, if you please - where their mouths have been throughout the tough negotiation process. The few pledges made so far, in the millions, not billions, are not a promising start. | |
Lien Vandamme Senior Campaigner, Center for International Environmental Law Whatsapp/Signal: +41 22 596 79 13 | As the climate crisis causes havoc across the globe, those least responsible and most marginalised are paying with their lives and livelihoods.They have the right to effective remedy and reparations. While the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27 was a major step forward for climate justice, there is still a long way to go. As the Fund gets underway, critical steps need to be taken to ensure that it meets the needs and priorities of frontline communities, and respects their rights. Critically, rich historic polluters urgently need to demonstrate good faith by delivering substantial pledges at COP28, while laying out a convincing roadmap to scale up to meet needs - in the hundreds of billions of dollars - in line with their international obligations. States must strengthen the prospects of securing redress for climate harm within the UNFCCC, while at the same time pursuing multiple pathways from the local to the international level to repair the full breadth of the harms resulting from inadequate actions to curb fossil fuel emissions. | |
Fanny Petitbon Head of Advocacy, CARE France Whatsapp/ Signal: +33 6 19 12 21 46 | Today is a landmark day for climate justice, but clearly not the end of the fight. We hope the agreement will result in rapid delivery of support for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis such as the two million people currently affected by massive floods in Somalia. However, it has many shortcomings. It enables historical emitters to evade their responsibility. It also fails to establish the scale of finance needed and ensure that the Fund is anchored in human rights principles. The Loss and Damage Fund must not remain an empty promise. We urgently call on all governments who are most responsible for the climate emergency and have the capacity to contribute to announce significant pledges in the form of grants. Historical emitters must lead the way. Financial commitments must not be about robbing Peter to pay Paul: funding must be new and additional. | Loss and Damage Fund announcement |
Colin McQuistan, Head of Climate and Resilience Practical Action colin.mcquistan@practicalaction.org.uk +447523355435 | Today is a historic moment at COP28 as parties agreed to establish a loss and damage fund to address the impacts of climate change that fall unfairly on those least responsible for the climate crisis. Operationalising the Loss & Damage fund and the immediate recognition of the fund through pledges is very welcome. This agreement marks a step change in the global position on Loss and Damage and broader climate reparations issue. To cement this, these commitments must be clear on how this money is new and additional to existing climate finance, ensure that its mobilisation through the World Bank doesn’t add to indebtedness and that future commitments will increase demonstrating a clear recognition that loss and damage funds needs to be provided at a scale commensurate to address the escalating costs of loss and damage. | |
Andrew Knight Head of Policy Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction | GNDR members are calling for immediate measures to address the scale of L&D finance including commitments for new and additional climate finance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction needs of impacted communities to ensure that communities are equipped with the necessary tools to build resilience against future risk. This includes: an independent fund; timely, flexible, predictable, multi-year funding support for both rapid- and slow-onset impacts; inclusive and equitable access to L&D finance (especially in the global south); commitment and accountability from historical polluters to provide grant-based funding which is new and additional to existing ODA. Efforts should address both economic and non-economic L&D. Meanwhile, GNDR is proud to support UNDRR/UNOPS’ joint bid to host the Santiago Network for L&D. | |
Erin Roberts Global Lead Loss and Damage Collaboration Email: erin@lossanddamagecollaboration.org Mobile: +447580328512 | The pledges we’ve seen today must be seen as a first step, a baby first step at that. We need bigger, bolder pledges and much bigger steps forward to get us to where we need to be by the end of COP 28 which is a fund that is capitalized with at least 400 billion USD. The money exists and now it must be mobilized. We owe that and much more to those on the frontlines of the climate crisis in the global South who are already bearing the cost of loss and damage. | |
Mattias Söderberg, Global Climate Lead, DanChurchAid | One of a half year ago none of the developed countries wanted to accept loss and damage finance. Today we have a fund. That is great! I hope this move will be followed by adequate, predictable new and additional funding. A fund without money will end up as a political stunt, with no effect for those facing loss and damage on the ground. | |
Lyndsay Walsh, Oxfam’s Climate Policy Advisor (For media inquiries, contact Karelia Pallan, karelia.pallan@oxfam.org, +1 202 329 8283 | “After 32 years of pressure and 27 COPs, we finally have a loss and damage fund. Despite the shortcomings in its structure, this is a very welcome step towards supporting people recovering from the severe and irreparable consequences of climate-fueled disasters. Urgently, we now need to see this fund filled with grant-based finance. While the pledges made today are a positive start to COP28, they are a fraction of what is needed. Over the next weeks and months, we must also see rich countries commit billions in new and additional money. At the backdrop of monster profits for fossil energy giants and extreme billionaire wealth, there are some very obvious places governments could be looking to find additional money.” | |
Izzie McIntosh climate campaign manager at Global Justice Now For media enquiries, contact Anita Bhadani - anita.bhadani@globaljustice.org.uk / | “The establishment of a global loss and damage fund is a welcome, yet long overdue, step forward for our climate. It reflects the utter devastation caused by climate change in the global south, and the need for rich countries to pay what they owe for their role in it. The UK must now stand up to the oil and gas companies raking in billions in profits year after year at the world’s collective expense, and fund a significant contribution to the loss and damage through permanent polluter taxes. Whilst the world took a historic step agreeing to this vital fund, rich countries have weakened the commitment they made to climate justice by insisting on the World Bank as interim host. This decision risks both excluding countries due to its outdated rules and deepening the debt crisis if support is provided through loans, not grants. If loss and damage funding is to be truly impactful, it must be funded and designed adequately, or risk being all talk and no action.” | |
Friederike Röder VP, Global Policy and Advocacy, Global Citizen +33786058478 @FredRoder For media inquiries: Caroline Head Caroline.head@globalcitizen.org: | COP28 opens with a historic decision, the creation of the first ever Loss and Damage Fund! However, a fund is worthless without any dollars in it. We welcome the first pledges, especially from the UAE, but given the needs of several hundred billion dollars per year, this is just a timid start. We now need more wealthy countries, from the Global North and South, to step up and announce significant pledges for loss and damage, in addition to other climate finance and in a transparent manner. The needs for loss and damage and other climate finance will continue to increase. This is why we also need to tap into additional financing sources, such as international taxes. Money is available as the oil and gas net income shows - 4 trillion last year alone. The big question now is whether the political will is there to act decisively. It is alarming that the language on financial contributions in the final decision to operationalize the loss and damage fund has been watered down. Instead of urging developed country parties to provide support, the text now simply “Invite[s] all sources of funding to contribute to the Fund for it to operate at significant scale”. The loss and damage fund also no longer is set up to focus on “closing priority gaps” within the current financial landscape but simply focuses on these priority gaps. It is also not encouraging that wording on providing “complementary and additional support” to improve the access to finance by particularly vulnerable countries was dropped from the decision text. Also, the fund, in its temporary version and longer term, must be designed in a way that ensures those countries most affected by the climate crisis have access to urgently needed loss and damage funding. For that, the funds need to be grant based, available quickly, in a flexible manner and easily accessible for local communities. | |
Leaders Declaration on a Global Climate Finance Framework - announcement 1 December during Climate Action Summit, Transforming Climate Summit
During COP we launch and start a task force for international taxation. Have a working group. To finance the fight against climate change and poverty. Task force will report next year in order to find a compromise and make it in action for COP30 in Brazil. (French President Macron)
LOSS AND DAMAGE PLEDGES MADE IN 2021-22
The following pages we made for Loss and Damage at COP26 and COP 27 in 2021 and 2022.
Who | When | How much | What | New and Additional money? | Non Economic Loss and Damage (NELD) focus? | Comments |
Scotland | COP26 | £2 millions | Mix of community-led projects to address L&D (SCIAF and CJRF) and research (SEI and ICCCAD) | As.As the Scottish Government announced a further £9m of funding for the Climate Justice Fund at COP27, the L&D pledge was new money However, note that the UK Government counts Scottish aid towards its ODA target. Therefore, more money from Scotland theoretically lets UK reduce its aid. Scottish Government aren't in control of this - though FM affirms need for additionality. | Though not explicit, CJRF and SCIAF both addressing NELD | https://www.lossanddamagecollaboration.org/stories-op/how-scotland-spent-its-loss-and-damage-pledge |
Scotland | COP27 | Focus on NELDs, gender and slow-onset - some grants will be informed by research undertaken by the Glasgow Centre for Climate Justice on mental health impacts of climate change | This money comes from the existing pledges for the Climate Justice Fund - therefore is an “allocation” of existing pledges rather than new money | Announcement explicitly focuses on NELD | ||
Wallonia | COP26 | €1 million for 2023 | Contribution to the CVF/V20 Joint-Multi Donor Fund + Observer member of the Board | Yes | No | |
COP27 | €2 million for 2023 | Tbd | Yes | Concrete allocation will be determined after the COP (different options are being analysed) | ||
Denmark | UNGA 2022 | €13 million in 2022 (100 million DKK) | 65%-bilateral support through NGOs 35% -Global shield | Yes, all on top of 0,7% ODA target | Possibly within NGO allocation | DanChurchAid received part of the allocation for a project in Mali |
Belgium (Federal Gov) | COP27 | Contribution to a portfolio of projects developed in Mozambique. Focus on capacity building for officials on L&D, DRR and data collections | No | No | Good project and great focus announced at the start of COP27 But money was already budgeted as CF not at all N&A | |
Germany | COP27 | €170 million | Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany would provide 170 million euros for "Global Shield" aimed at strengthening insurance and disaster protection finance. The 170m€ are comprised of
| No | ||
Austria | COP27 | €50 million from 2023 till 2026 | Money will go into Santiago Network and Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (among possible other instruments) - so debatable if this is REAL L&D money (but they frame it that way) | Yes | No | |
New Zealand | COP 27 | NZ$20 million / US$12 million | “COP27 is likely to discuss a centralised fund for international commitments for loss and damage. While New Zealand is not opposed to this, we also support a wide range of funding arrangements to make best use of our contrtribution. We will work with our partners, in particular Pacific governments, to support areas they identify as priorities,” said Nanaia Mahuta. | No, part of existing climate finance pledge | ||
Canada | COP 27 | $24 M, O | includes: $7 mo to Global Shield (which I mentioned earlier) $1.25 for the Santiago Network. $5 mo tonthe Climate Finance Access Network. $5mo fornthe Initiative for Climate Action Transparency. $6 mo to the CTCN | |||
Ireland | COP27 | €10 million for 2023 | Global Shield | No It's not additional, being taken out of a commitment of €225m by 2025 that was made last year (of which only 88.3m provided in 2020 (most recent figures) and 35m promised in next years budget. | ||
Spain | COP27 | €2 million | Santiago Network | No information | no info | special focus on droughts with bilateral agreements |
France | COP27 | €20 million | Global Shield/ Global Shield Solutions Platform Will be allocated under the form of grants. Initial €20 million for 2023 (potential of renewal in 2024 and 2025 based on the results). Note that France also doubled its contribution to the Early warning systems’ initiative known as CREWS during UNGA.in September 2022 | Yes | No info | |
US | COP27 | $24 million | Global Shield (Note that the US has also contributed $15m for early warning systems, $13.6 million to the Systematic Observations financing facility, and $5 million for climate migrants under the Migration multi-partner trust fund) (Note that the US has also contributed $15m for early warning systems, $13.6 million to the Systematic Observations financing facility, and $5 million for climate migrants under the Migration multi-partner trust fund) | $12 million for Africa Disaster Risk Financing Program; $12 million for ARC Limited | Extreme events, food insecurity and other issues exacerbated by climate change | |
UK | COP27 | GBP 20.7 | Santiago Network and Disaster climate Risk Financing - insurance schemes | No, this is part of existing climate finance commitments, which is also double counted ODA. | The £13 million Adaptation and Loss and Damage package includes £5 million for the Santiago Network and £4 million for Climate Risk Management including the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP). | |
European Commission, EU ‘Team Europe’: Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark | COP27 | €60 million over X years part of €1Bn climate resilience initiative, adaptation | Climate & disaster risk insurance, Global Shield, TBC some social protection schemes, longer term reconstruction, rehabilitation in Africa | No; European Commission contributions from EU budget Global Europe, largely ODA instrument with 35% climate target Additional contributions from Member States (inc repetition from above). | No | https://twitter.com/CANEurope/status/1592928234274172930?s=20&t=a1LVf7Ccjn3zgXAJdnyyFg
|
Luxembourg | COP27 | €10 million in 5 year climate finance cycle | it will focus on:
| It comes from within the climate finance envelope of 220M over 5 years, Lux does meet 1%GNI as ODA so its climate finance can be considered partially new and additional | no | |
Philanthropies | COP26 | 3 million USD |
*Philanthropies include CIFF, OSF, Global Greengrants Fund, Hewlett Foundation and ECF - some went to the CVF/V20 Joint Multi-donor Fund while the rest went to an L&D Fund created by the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group
DETAILS LINKS AND ANALYSIS FOR 2021-2 LOSS AND DAMAGE PLEDGES :
- Scotland
- L&DC article : https://www.lossanddamagecollaboration.org/stories-op/how-scotland-spent-its-loss-and-damage-pledge
- Wallonia
- Denmark
- BE (Federal gov)
- The new cooperation program runs from 2023 to 2028 and includes a total amount of 25 million euros. 2.5 million euros are specifically allocated to the loss and damage component.
- Project in Mozambique focus on different components : capacity building for officials regarding L&D (how to chanel finance, follow international negotiations), data’s collection, disaster risk management activities
- Philanthropies See press releases from COP26 here.
OTHER LOSS AND DAMAGE (FOR THE GLOBAL SHIELD AND SANTIAGO NETWORK).
- Germany : 170 millions euros for Global Shield
- Spain : 2 millions euros
- Austria: The Austrian Ministry of Climate Change will allocate at least 50 million euros from its budget for the next four years for financing that addresses Loss & Damage. Part of this funding can go to the so-called "Santiago Network for Technical Assistance on Loss and Damage," and the CREWS (Climate Risk & Early Warning Systems) mechanism, which provides early warning systems for particularly vulnerable countries, can also be supported.
- France: This is a concrete commitment on the part of France, which is mobilizing new funding in the form of grants - 20 million euros - to launch this tool, which has real potential to support the countries of the V20 in dealing with climate impacts. On the other hand, it is regrettable that France has chosen to direct its contribution to one of the Shield's funds focused mainly on the private sector, instead of allocating it to the multi-donor fund of the Climate Vulnerability Forum and the V20, which is certainly the most effective channel for rapidly allocating grants to communities affected by the worst climate impacts. CARE France reactive statement: https://www.carefrance.org/actualites/cop27-la-france-sengage-dans-le-bouclier-de-protection-mondial/
[1] The COP/CMA decision and TC5 outcome, indicates a four year replenishment cycle for the Loss and Damage Fund, which should be taken into account in initial capitalisation pledges.