Closing the Climate Finance Gap in Conflict-Affected States: A Dialogue with the Green Climate Fund

People living in conflict-affected countries are often hit hardest by climate impacts. Nineteen of the 25 countries most vulnerable to climate change also appear on the World Bank’s 2025 list of Fragile and Conflict Affected States. Conflict and instability weaken institutions and basic services, making it harder for communities to cope with heat, erratic rainfall, and disasters. Yet they receive far less climate finance per person than more stable countries. Several factors drive this funding gap – including donor and investor concerns about risk, rigid funding rules, and a shortage of programs designed to address both conflict and climate challenges together. Efforts to close the finance gap are growing. Notably, the world’s largest climate fund, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), aims to allocate 50% of its adaptation funding to the most vulnerable states and has committed more than $2 billion to 31 fragile and conflict-affected states, including new projects in Iraq and Somalia. Join the Stimson Center on October 16 for a public discussion on how to close the climate-finance gap in fragile and conflict-affected countries. The expert panel will explore opportunities to ensure that no one is left behind in the global effort to build climate resilience.