The Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Kenyeh Barlay, delivered a compelling address at the Fragility Forum 2024 in Washington DC. Co-hosted by G7plus, the World Bank, and ODI Global, the high-level session titled “Plugging the Climate Finance Gap in Fragile & Conflict-affected Settings” aimed to galvanize effective partnerships to bolster access to climate finance in Fragile and Conflict-affected States (FCS).
The dialogue revolved around fortifying state institutions to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change, alongside streamlining approaches to expedite financial access in Fragile, Conflict, and Violent (FCV) environments.
Minister Barlay, renowned for her expertise in climate resilience and finance, underscored the urgent need to address the distinct challenges encountered by fragile and conflict-affected settings in grappling with climate change impacts. Innovative financing mechanisms, such as risk-sharing instruments and public-private partnerships, took center stage as pivotal means to mobilize resources effectively.
Emphasizing the imperative of bolstering resilience and adaptive capacity in vulnerable regions, Minister Barlay highlighted the interconnectedness between climate change, conflict, and fragility. The exploration of policy frameworks integrating climate adaptation and peacebuilding efforts aimed to foster sustainable development.
Advocating for heightened international cooperation and solidarity, Minister Barlay emphasized equitable access to climate finance for fragile and conflict-affected settings. The session provided a platform for the exchange of best practices, lessons learned, and success stories in addressing the climate finance gap in challenging environments, stressing the urgent need for concerted action to bolster vulnerable communities’ resilience amid conflict and fragility.
The discussions also featured two additional panels:
“Scaling up for Greater Impact through Weak Public Institutions,” where Minister Barlay elucidated Sierra Leone’s strategies to expedite and transform its development trajectory by addressing agriculture, climate, food security, water, nature, and social exclusion issues through the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) for the period 2024-2030.
“State-building in Protracted Crises Lessons and Future Directions,” focusing on defining a more pragmatic set of development intervention objectives in fragile states amidst triumphs and tribulations of state-building efforts.
Minister Barlay was scheduled to address the panel titled “Prevention as a System, how can we do better on conflict and violence prevention?” Promising further insights, the session aims to explore preventive strategies in conflict and violence-prone settings, epitomizing Minister Barlay’s commitment to fostering sustainable peace and development globally.
