Isdb Launches Resilience Initiative For Conflict And Climate-Affected Communities

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) ALGIERS, Algeria, May 20. The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) plans to launch a response and resilience facility to support over 10 million people affected by conflict and climate shocks, said Rami Ahmad, the bank's Vice President for Operations, Trend's special correspondent reports.

He made the remark at a panel session titled "Towards Resilient Economies: Diversification Strategies for Sustainable Development in IsDB Member Countries" at the IsDB Group Annual Meetings in Algiers.

“Looking ahead, we plan to launch a response and resilience facility to support over 10 million people affected by conflict and climate shocks through innovative concessional finance. Equally, we are investing in human capital,” he said.

The VP noted that member countries continue to face a wide range of interlinked challenges, including economic instability, climate change, and structural vulnerability.

" Nearly 70 percent of IDB member countries are in some form or another commodity-dependent, with exports of oil, gas, or raw materials forming over 60 percent of their export earnings. For at least 31 member countries, fragility further exaggerates these vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, 31 out of our 57 member countries suffer from fragility in one way or another,” he added.

The IsDB places particular emphasis on addressing forced displacement and environmental disasters. According to Ahmad, more than 43 million people across member states were displaced in the current year alone.

"All of our fragile member countries face disproportionate exposure to environmental disasters, health crises, and forced displacement,” he stressed.

Citing World Bank data, Ahmad noted that only a quarter of IsDB member countries currently have national strategies that integrate both economic diversification and climate resilience.

"We take our role seriously in helping close this gap, taking into account the fragility and the climate combination, and the context. In 2023, we launched our Just Transition Conceptual Framework and Action Plan, guiding member countries toward a greener, more equitable economy.

Over the past three years, we mobilized $5.5 billion in climate finance, with 47 percent of that dedicated to adaptation, which is essential for countries facing a dual threat from climate and conflict.

Our investments support climate-resilient value chains. To address fragility, we are piloting a country engagement framework, which we usually do with stable countries, but now we are piloting this country engagement framework tailored to fragile contexts,” Ahmad said.

MENAFN20052025000187011040ID1109573881