Outcome of the last five Conference of Parties, Assessment and Justification
For over three decades, the concept of Loss and Damage was the "third pillar" of climate action that remained largely unfunded and politically sidelined. While Mitigation seeks to prevent the crisis and Adaptation aims to live with it, Loss and Damage addresses the harsh reality of impacts that are beyond human ability to adapt. For vulnerable global south nations like Bangladesh and Kenya, this isn't a theoretical debate; it is about the irreversible loss of ancestral lands to rising seas and the destruction of livelihoods by unprecedented droughts. This discussion examines the last five years of negotiations, tracking the journey from a technical network to a fully operational global fund.
Summary of the outcomes of the last five Conference of parties from COP25 to COP 29.
COP 25. This Conference of Parties was held in Madrid in 2019. It lead to the establishment of the Santiago network which was created to catalyze technical assistance to vulnerable nations to address loss and damage.
COP 26. This Conference of Parties was held in Glasgow in 2021 hence termed Glasgow Dialogue. It was a three year conversation to discuss funding. From this Conference, developed nations agreed to finance Santiago networks in its operations but blocked dedicated finance facility.
COP 27. This Conference of Parties was held in Sharm el-Sheikh in 2022 and during this conference, Parties agreed to establish a dedicated loss and damage fund.
COP 28. This Conference was held in Dubai in the year 2023, and the outcome of this conference included the operationalization of the loss and damage fund and first pledges that amounted to 700 million dollars and the world bank was named an interim host.
COP 29. This Conference was held in Baku, 2024, and the Loss and damage fund was offered full operational rights as final legal agreements such as trustees and host country agreement was signed.
Assesment on the outcomes of the last five Conference of Parties.
My assignment of the progress of the last five Conference of Parties from COP 25 to COP 29 is likert scale 4: Satisfied.
Justification of my Assessment.
My assessment is based on the unprecedented speed of institutionalizing a new pillar of the climate finance that is the Loss and Damage Fund. In the world of international diplomacy, things usually move at a glacial pace. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) took years to start working. In contrast, the Loss and Damage Fund went from a concept at COP 27 to signing payout agreements at COP 29 in just two years. This rapid progress shows a rare level of global political will. The fund is also designed by a majority of the developing countries this sense of inclusivity shows that the loss and damage fund reflects the needs of the most vulnerable nations. And also recent COPs have finally begun to create space for Non-Economic Loss and Damage (NELD). The Santiago Network now includes experts in cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge, acknowledging that the loss of a sacred forest or a traditional way of life is just as critical as the loss of a bridge or a farm.
In conclusion, while I acknowledge that current funding (~$730 million) is a "drop in the bucket" compared to the hundreds of billions needed, I am satisfied with the trajectory as the foundation of the system is now built and tested. The challenge for COP 30 and beyond is no longer how to build the fund, but how to fill it. We have successfully turned a moral demand into a functional global reality.