This article was created with the support of the Fund to deal with losses and damages (FRLD)
In the fund's first high-level dialogue for response to losses and damages (FRLD), a bystander of the World Bank and IMF's spring meeting in Washington, DC, the speaker highlighted the need for a unified global approach to combating the impacts of climate change, particularly in vulnerable countries.
Convened in conjunction with the UN Office under “Strengthening Response to Complementarity, Consistent and Adjustment” the dialogue attracted high-level delegations from governments, multilateral development banks, UN agencies, climate funds, charities, civil society organizations, and general financial institutions to support vualiableabulation.
Founded in Sharm El-Sheikh at COP27 and operated at COP28 in Dubai, FRLD aims to support particularly vulnerable countries. To date, the fund has received a total of $768 million pledges, of which an initial allocation of $250 million has been set to be paid under the Barbados Implementation Modality (BIM). The BIM plan, adopted at the FRLD's fifth committee meeting in April 2025, is expected to specify at least 50% of the initial allocation to support small island developing countries (SIDS) and minimally developed countries (LDCs).
Please ask for your cooperation
In their opening remarks, co-chairs of the FRLD board, Jean Christophe Donnellier and Richard Sherman, called for greater cooperation and cooperation among all stakeholders. While Donnellier highlighted the need for a “timely, appropriate, comprehensive and efficient” response, Sherman urged participants to prioritize national ownership and avoid the challenges arising from the complex procedures the country faces when trying to access other climate funds. “We are not a country office fund. You are our delivery partner,” he said.
Pakistan Finance Minister Mohammed Orangzeb, leveraging the country's experience of devastating flooding in 2022, warned that climate change is a realistic and current threat. “Climate change is an existential threat and we live it,” he said, adding that an agile fund with simple access procedures will help the country respond to disasters better and faster. “We're dealing with our own bureaucrats. We can't wait years for a decision. What we need is quick payments,” he emphasized.
FRLD's first executive director, Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, said the fund is committed to working with other stakeholders to reduce fragmentation and duplication in climate action around the world. “Today marks the beginning of a new era of coordinated action driven by global solidarity and leadership,” he declared, “our shared goal is clear. We ensure that the most vulnerable nations affected by climate-induced losses and damages will receive timely and effective support that reflect priorities and reality.”
The event also saw two lively panel discussions on “New Partnerships for Enhanced Responses” and “Strategic Recommendations and Collaboration.” The panelists reaffirmed the need for multilateralism, which they said is important to find solutions to accelerate climate change rapidly. The international community must do more to leverage existing tools, including FRLD, to devise a system of response that does not leave countries and communities behind. The fund was encouraged to complement and adjust other existing structures and funding mechanisms to ensure that waste is kept to a minimum and greater impact is achieved. Private and charitable capital must also be employed in disaster response funding.
Notify me of precautions
To minimize the impact of the disaster, panelists encouraged the use of scientific data to inform preventive actions. Early warning systems and risk analysis tools are said to help reduce life losses and minimize damage to property. It also allows resources to be deployed even before the disaster itself occurs, allowing for quick responses. An interdisciplinary approach linking data, funding, and policymaking allows countries to better deal with climate change threats, contain the incidence of climate-related disasters, and ensure the more efficient use of resources. Prevention is emphasized and is cheaper than response.
The fund was also encouraged to work with local organizations that already have institutional knowledge about the affected communities, rather than creating new institutions. By leveraging existing mechanisms and coordinating with local organizations, FRLD can turn climate funds into community-driven efforts that are tailored to the needs of vulnerable communities. Speakers highlighted the needs of the community, the rights and dignity of those affected by locally-led initiatives and interventions, and the need for a departure from the business from a new approach that prioritizes access to better funding.
The roundtable discussion showed that FRLD can expect an ecosystem of stakeholders, including multilateral development banks, climate funds, insurance entities, humanitarian institutions and civil society organizations, on its mission to provide timely support to communities most affected by climate-induced losses and damages.
Carolina Fuentes Castellanos, director of the Santiago Network Secretariat, said, “The Santiago Network and FRLD are linked not only by design but also by purpose. One of our core functions is to allow access to finance, technology and capacity building. Responding to loss and damage.
Flexibility and innovation
In his closing remarks, Donnellier encouraged stakeholders to shape the fund's long-term framework with “flexibility and innovation.”
He also called for the partner to contribute directly to the operational modalities being developed.
Sherman acknowledged that elaborate access procedures associated with several existing funds undermine their effectiveness and utility, and vowed to adopt a different approach that would allow FRLD to provide a timely and effective response to climate disasters.
Dion thanked the panelists for their contributions and pledged that stakeholder opinions from the dialogue will be introduced in deliberations at upcoming board meetings to be held in Cebu in July and in Manila in October. He announced that the initial call for the proposal he has made will be issued before the COP30 in Belem, Brazil.
