Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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International climate finance is an important priority for the Government. Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs led on a cross-governmental process to formulate Ireland’s International Climate Finance Roadmap. It sets out how Ireland will deliver on the target of providing at least €225 million annually in international climate finance by 2025, a commitment made by the then Taoiseach at COP26 in Glasgow. Meeting this commitment will represent a more than doubling of Ireland’s climate finance.

The Roadmap builds on Ireland's positive record on climate finance, maintaining a focus on adaptation in some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The Roadmap expands our focus in key areas including ocean protection and biodiversity. It also asserts Ireland’s support for scaling up finance to respond to climate-induced Loss and Damage.

The issue of Loss and Damage is one of Ireland’s priorities for our work on climate change. This year, the Department of Foreign Affairs represented Ireland, sharing a seat with Germany, in the Transitional Committee negotiations on Loss and Damage. The final agreement on the new fund reflects several of the priorities Ireland worked hard to include, including a focus on vulnerability and a minimum percentage allocation for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

Supporting vulnerable developing countries to respond to the impact of climate change is clearly in line with our broader humanitarian and development policy goals. We are committed to mobilising finance for Loss and Damage, including through the new fund, as part of our overall climate finance strategy.

Over the past decade, Ireland has steadily increased its international climate finance. Preliminary figures show that in 2022, Ireland provided over €115 million in international climate finance – our highest spend to date. This represents a more than doubling of Ireland’s climate finance since 2015.