BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Climate-induced displacement has already surpassed the number of people displaced by armed conflicts, said Elshad Iskandarov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador for special assignments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trend reports.
Speaking at a panel on climate action for peace held as part of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Iskandarov said climate change is having a severe impact on refugee camps around the world.
He noted that in the 15 hottest refugee camps globally, people face extreme weather conditions for around 200 days each year.
Iskandarov warned that the number of climate refugees could reach 70 million by 2050.
“Already, the number of people displaced due to climate reasons has exceeded those displaced by conflicts,” he said.
He said Azerbaijan raised the initiative of a “Baku Climate and Peace Hub” during COP29, aimed at addressing climate solutions in post-conflict settings while also tackling peacebuilding and climate finance gaps.
According to Iskandarov, 25 of the 27 most climate-vulnerable countries are least developed countries, and they face severe funding shortages.
“These countries receive only a fraction of the climate adaptation financing they need — roughly 10 times less than required. In other words, for every $100 needed, they receive only about $1,” he said.
He added that per capita climate finance also highlights this disparity: least developed climate-vulnerable countries receive about $1.9 per person, compared to $18 per person in other countries.
Iskandarov said the main goal of the Baku initiative is to mobilize climate finance for conflict-affected and highly vulnerable countries.
He said the initiative has already gained significant international support, including from countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.
He added that around 300 peacebuilding organizations, 40 states, and dozens of UN agencies, multilateral development banks and climate funds have also joined or supported the initiative.
WUF13 is being held in Baku from May 17 to 22 under cooperation between the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Government of Azerbaijan.
The forum brings together governments, experts, communities and international partners to discuss major global housing and sustainable urban development challenges under the theme “Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements.”
