“Whether it’s floods ravaging South Sudan and Brazil, record heat in Kenya and Pakistan, or water shortages in Chad and Ethiopia, extreme weather is pushing already fragile communities to the brink. » » said the UN agency.

Over the past decade, weather-related disasters have caused 250 million internal displacements, the equivalent of around 70,000 people per day, or two displacements every three seconds. Returns to Syria and Afghanistan this year have contributed to a decrease in global travel compared to 2024.

Frontline struggle

In a new report, UNHCR also highlighted that three in four uprooted people now live in countries where frontline communities face “high to extreme” exposure to climate-related risks.

“Extreme weather conditions further endanger people’s safety; it disrupts access to essential services, destroys homes and livelihoods, and forces families – many of whom have already fled violence – to flee once again.said Filippo Grandi, the outgoing United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“These are people who have already endured immense loss, and now they face the same hardship and devastation again. They are among the hardest hit by severe droughts, deadly floods and record heatwaves, and yet they have the fewest resources to recover.”

Protection system deployed

Across the world, refugees’ basic survival systems are already under strain, UNHCR has warned.

In some areas of Chad affected by flooding, for example, Newly arrived refugees fleeing war in neighboring Sudan receive less than 10 liters of water per day, which is well below emergency standards.

The data also indicates that by 2050, the hottest refugee camps could face almost 200 days of extreme heat stress per year, with serious risks to health and survival.

“Many of these places are at risk of becoming uninhabitable due to the deadly combination of extreme heat and high humidity,” the UN refugee agency said.

Threat of land degradation in Africa

It noted that 1.2 million refugees returned home by early 2025, but half of that number arrived in “climate vulnerable” areas. At the same time, the UNHCR also noted that 75 percent of the land on the African continent is deteriorating and that more than one in two refugee camps are located in “high tension” areas.

“This reduces access to food, water and income,” the UN agency insisted, leading to recruitment into armed groups in parts of the Sahel, fueling conflict and repeated displacement.

Despite growing needs, the funding gap and what UNHCR calls “a deeply inequitable climate finance system” have left millions of people unprotected. Today, conflict-affected countries hosting refugees receive only a quarter of the climate finance they need, while the vast majority of global climate finance never reaches displaced communities or their hosts.

“Budget cuts significantly limit our ability to protect refugees and displaced families from the effects of extreme weather,” Grandi said, speaking on the opening day of the UN COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil.

“If we want stability, we must invest where people are most at risk,” added the UNHCR chief. “To prevent further displacement, climate finance must reach communities already living on the margins. They can’t be left alone. This COP must result in real actions, and not empty promises.

Main findings of the UNHCR report:

• Three in four refugees or displaced people due to conflict currently live in countries facing high to extreme exposure to climate-related hazards.
• 1.2 million refugees returned home by early 2025, half of them to climate-vulnerable areas.
• 75 percent of land in Africa is deteriorating, with more than half of refugee settlements located in high-stress areas.
• Almost all current refugee camps will face an unprecedented increase in dangerous heat. By 2050, the world’s fifteen hottest refugee camps – located in Gambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Senegal and Mali – are expected to face nearly 200 or more days of dangerous heat stress per year.
• By 2040, the number of countries facing extreme climate hazards could increase from three to 65.
• Since April 2023, nearly 1.3 million people fleeing the Sudanese conflict have sought refuge in South Sudan and Chad, two countries among the least equipped to deal with the growing climate emergency.

The Summit took place 30 years after the historic 1995 Copenhagen meeting, which placed social justice at the heart of sustainable development. Since then, many countries have reported considerable progress in education, health and poverty reduction – but also widening inequality, demographic pressures, climate vulnerability and conflict.

Shared national experiences

Leaders and ministers have repeatedly emphasized that social development is not charity but a strategic investment in stability.

Denmark highlighted its long-term development financing, calling for renewed global cooperation.

THE Republic of Korea highlighted his own evolution from aid recipient to donor, while Poland And Vietnam highlighted significant reductions in poverty and increases in education and life expectancy.

Tanzania reported support for 1.3 million households and increasing political representation of women; Cyprus stressed that its guaranteed minimum income offers real protection.

Cape Verde And Malaysia outlines new data systems and policy reforms designed to target support more effectively and maintain social cohesion, while the Dominican Republicstressed that social development is not an expense, but an investment in dignity, cohesion and the future.

Learn more

Countries affected by the crisis speak out

Conflict-affected and climate-vulnerable countries have called for lasting solidarity.

Ukraine said it continues to maintain basic benefits even in the midst of war.

Syria And Sudan called for a partnership to rebuild the social foundations shattered by the conflict.

Seychelles And Grenade called for climate-resilient development and more equitable access to finance, highlighting that small island states face increasing vulnerability and shrinking fiscal space.

Learn more

A changing global context

Many delegates said today’s challenges – population aging, technological change, climate impacts and debt burdens – are very different from those of 1995. But the principle remains the same: no sustainable economic transformation is possible without strong social foundations.

Calls for fairer funding

Developing countries have argued that current lending rules and global financial structures make it difficult to expand social protection and invest in jobs.

Ugandaamong others, called for reforms to the international financial architecture to provide a more level playing field.

A reaffirmed global commitment

Delegations also presented their views on the Doha Political Declaration, adopted on Tuesday, which reaffirms commitments to eradicate poverty, expand universal social protection, promote decent work and inclusion, and strengthen the link between social justice, peace and sustainable development.

Although several delegations dissociated themselves from certain terms of the Declaration, the document itself was adopted by consensus, reflecting broad agreement on the need to accelerate progress.

Learn more about the Doha Political Declaration

Watch the closing session

Doha to Belem

Closing of the SummitUN President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock said the meeting marked “not an end, but a beginning,” urging countries not to wait another 30 years to act.

The focus now shifts at the upcoming G20 Summit and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, where leaders are expected to continue to emphasize social justice and inclusion.

Follow our special coverage of COP30 here

Editor’s note:

This story is based on reports from the United Nations Meetings Coverage Section, whose press officers attend Summit sessions, monitor statements made by Member States and delegates, and produce summary records and press releases. Thursday’s press release is available here (SOC/4928).

After decades of commitments and annual summits of Kyoto has Sharm el-SheikhThe planet continues to warm, and the pressure on governments and big businesses to act – not just talk – has never been greater.

Holding COP30 in Belém, on the edge of the largest tropical rainforest in the world, highlights the issue: the Amazon region is both a vital carbon sink and a front line in the fight against deforestation and climate change.

So this year’s meeting aims to shift gears. Delegates will review national climate plans, push for $1.3 trillion a year in climate finance, adopt new measures to help countries adapt and advance a “just transition” to cleaner economies.

“It’s time to implement”

COP30 was presented as a turning point – a moment of truth and a test of global solidarity. The summit opens Monday in Belém in a gloomy context: scientists say that the planet is on the verge of temporarily exceeding the 1.5°C warming limit set by the Paris Agreement.

This overshoot could still be short-lived, experts warn, but only if countries act quickly to step up their efforts to reduce emissions, adapt to climate impacts and mobilize financing.

Speaking at the UN Leaders’ Summit Secretary-General António Guterres was direct: “It is no longer time for negotiations. It is time for implementation, implementation and implementation.”

Under the Brazilian presidency, COP30 will be structured around an action program of 30 key objectives, each led by an “activation group” responsible for developing solutions.

This effort has been described as mutirão – an indigenous word meaning “collective task” – reflecting Brazil’s desire to highlight indigenous leadership and participation in the conference and the global fight against climate change.

The government says it wants all sectors – from indigenous communities to business leaders – to help deliver on past climate promises.

Finance the transition

COP action programs are based on voluntary commitments rather than binding laws. But the scale of change needed is enormous: at least $1.3 trillion in climate investments every year by 2035.

Without urgent action, scientists warn that global temperatures could rise between 2.3°C and 2.8°C by the end of the century, leaving vast regions uninhabitable due to flooding, extreme heat and ecosystem collapse.

At the heart of the discussions in Belém will be the Report on the $1.3 trillion Baku-Belém roadmapprepared by the COP29 and COP30 presidencies. It sets out five priorities for mobilizing resources, including strengthening six multilateral climate funds, strengthening cooperation on taxing polluting activities and converting sovereign debt into climate investment – ​​a measure that could unlock up to $100 billion for developing countries.

The report also calls for dismantling barriers such as clauses in investment treaties that allow companies to sue governments over their climate policies. These disputes have already cost governments $83 billion in 349 cases.

What else is on the COP30 agenda?

Another key objective in Belém is the latest round of nationally determined contributions (CDN) – national climate plans which specify how countries intend to reduce their emissions. To keep warming below 1.5°C, global emissions must fall by 60% by 2030. Current NDCs would only provide a 10 percent off.

Of the 196 Parties to Paris Agreementonly 64 had submitted updated CDNs by the end of September. During preparatory negotiations in Germany in June, many countries warned that this ambition gap must be closed at COP30.

Delegates are also expected to approve 100 global indicators to track progress on climate adaptation, making results measurable and comparable across countries.

Today, 172 countries have at least one adaptation policy or plan, although 36 of them are obsolete. The new indicators should help shape more transparent and effective policies.

As the planet warms faster than ever, adaptation is now a central pillar of climate action. But the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) warns that adaptation finance must multiply by twelve by 2035 to meet the needs of developing countries.

COP30 will also advance the work program for a just transition, aimed at ensuring that climate measures do not worsen inequalities. Civil society groups are calling for a “Belém Action Mechanism” to coordinate just transition efforts and expand access to technology and financing for the most vulnerable nations.

Why COPs are important

The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – known simply as the COP – remains the leading global forum for tackling the climate crisis. Decisions are made by consensus, which stimulates cooperation on mitigation, adaptation and financing.

Over the years, the COPs have reached historic agreements. In 2015, the Paris Agreement set a goal of keeping global temperature rise “well below 2°C” while striving to reach 1.5°C.

HAS COP28 In Dubai, countries agreed to abandon fossil fuels “in a fair, orderly and equitable manner” and triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. Last year in Baku, COP29 increased the annual climate finance target for developing countries from $100 billion to $300 billion, with a roadmap to reach $1.3 trillion.

Overall, the legal framework built over three decades under the UNFCCC has helped avoid a predicted temperature increase of 4°C by the end of this century.

COP30 opens on Monday November 10 and will continue until Friday November 21.

“Health facilities are where vulnerable people seek healing. Yet without adequate water, sanitation and hygiene, for too many people, expected care can turn into unintended harm,” said Dr. Hans Kluge of the World Health Organization.WHO) Regional Director Europe.

Stressing that health care is “put to the test like never before,” Dr. Kluge insisted that strengthening it is an investment in resisting crises.

As part of that work, a UN-led meeting this week in Budapest saw more than 40 countries adopt an agenda to build more resilient and equitable water, sanitation and hygiene systems, often collectively referred to as WASH.

The 7th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health is co-led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations health agency.

The Protocol on Water and Health remains the only legally binding international treaty explicitly linking environmental protection, water governance and public health. It has helped countries translate their commitments into concrete improvements, such as expanding clean water, protecting biodiversity and strengthening disease surveillance.

Yet major challenges remain. In addition to the 118 million people in Europe whose health facilities do not have basic sanitation, 70 million people do not have access to safely managed drinking water and 185 million do not have safe sanitation. These vulnerabilities are only getting worse as droughts, floods and cyber threats increasingly disrupt services.

“The Protocol is an example of the impact of multilateral cooperation on our daily lives, but we still have much work to do,” said UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean.

Practical tools, global relevance

The Protocol provides a toolkit of evidence-based resources, such as an equitable access dashboard and water security planning, already in use in more than 30 countries. The international agreement has supported at least 1,500 facility assessments and helped inform policies in schools, hospitals and urban planning.

Countries in the pan-European region are committed to ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all, through commitments such as the Budapest Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), “but no one tells you how to do it. This is what the Protocol has to offer. underlined Marta Vargha, vice-president of the Protocol.

Concrete measures taken under the Protocol include efforts to ensure the provision of safe drinking water, sanitation and menstrual hygiene in schools; to monitor wastewater for dangerous viruses, including COVID-19; combat the spread of Legionella bacteria in domestic water systems and develop plans for carbon-neutral water services.

On the eve of the UN climate summit in Brazil, the UNECE has urged governments to put water and sanitation systems at the heart of climate resilience – a message highlighted by Secretary-General António Guterres in a message to the meeting: “Progress on water and sanitation supports progress on several Sustainable Development Goals. »