The Government has made significant progress in scaling up Ireland's international climate finance in recent years. Ireland’s International Climate Finance Roadmap sets out how we will deliver on the target of providing at least €225 million annually in climate finance by 2025. We are on track to meet this target.
In 2022, Ireland provided €120.8 million in climate finance, our highest amount to date. In line with Ireland’s priorities, 80% of this went to programmes that support adaptation either as a whole or as one component. 84% of our bilateral climate finance in 2022 was channelled to Least Developed Countries.
In 2023, we estimate that Ireland provided at least €147 million in climate finance. In line with the EU Governance Regulation, Ireland will submit 2023 data to the EU by 30 September 2024. Following verification by the OECD, a finalised figure for Ireland’s 2023 climate finance will then be published.
Ireland’s climate finance is channelled through our Embassies, multilateral organisations, and NGOs. Last year, for example, the Department of Foreign Affairs provided over €2.1 million to the Special Climate Change Fund to support Small Island Developing States. In terms of new initiatives, at COP28 in December 2023, we pledged €25 million to the Loss and Damage Fund. Ireland has also provided €5 million to the new Climate Action Account of the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund. Both these initiatives support vulnerable countries affected by climate disasters.
Under OECD rules, Ireland reports all Official Development Assistance that supports climate action and gender equality separately. However, as both are core priorities for Ireland, we have included a gender/climate analysis of bilateral climate finance in Ireland’s Climate Finance Reports for 2021 and 2022. In 2023, we will further enhance this reporting through the provision of case studies.
