Event: Harnessing Development and Climate Finance to Address Internal Displacement in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change

This joint event organized by the Platform on Disaster Displacement, the Asian Development Bank and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre will take place at the Varembé Conference Centre (CCV) on Wednesday 5 February 2025 from 10:00 to 12:30 and will be followed by a light lunch. 

Background

Every year, millions of people are forced to leave their homes because of damage caused by disasters or the effects of climate change. In 2023, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) recorded 26.4 million internal displacements linked with disasters in 148 countries and territories.

The UN Secretary General’s Action Agenda on internal displacement called for increased financial investments to address the issue sustainably, including from development banks and other donors. The last Conferences of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change acknowledged displacement as a form of loss and damage, making it equally relevant for climate finance and dedicated funding mechanisms. Yet, as of today, most interventions on internal displacement rely on humanitarian funding and emergency assistance.

The Asian Development Bank and IDMC released a report on Harnessing Development Financing for Solutions to Displacement in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change which focused on Asia and the Pacific. The report identified concrete ways that development finance can help affected governments address the issue through prevention, response and solutions.

Objective

This event  is intended to broaden the conversation beyond Asia and the Pacific and hear from governments, development banks and climate funds from different regions how the findings of this report can be applied or adapted to meet their respective needs. This in-person event is intended to take a constructive look at what is already being done in terms of development and climate finance for disaster displacement, what works and what challenges remain to be addressed. By bringing together actors from the demand and supply sides, we hope to find a concrete way forward to secure the much-needed resources to address internal displacement linked with disasters and climate change across the world.

The interactive expert discussion will be open to other interested participants as a way to raise awareness on this pivotal and highly topical issue. It will be followed by a light networking lunch to encourage further engagement and new alliances for collective action.

Agenda

10:00    Welcome coffee and registration

10:30    Welcome remarks

10:40    Presentation of the joint report by IDMC and ADB, Harnessing Development Financing for Solutions to Displacement in the context of disasters and climate change in Asia and the Pacific

11:00    Panel discussion, on examples of development or climate finance addressing internal displacement in different contexts; challenges securing funding from both the demand and the supply side and how these challenges could be addressed.

12:00    Q&A

12:30    Closing remarks

Followed by a light networking lunch

Cover photo: UNDP Climate