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As the world moves steadily toward COP30, the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) and the Santiago Network are progressing their work. 

The 6th FRLD Board Meeting in the Philippines marked an important shift from design to delivery and highlighted its commitment to channelling support quickly and fairly to those most affected by climate-related loss and damage. The FRLD not only entered a key phase of operational work with a focus on its first call for proposals and its resource mobilization strategy but also made progress anchoring its activities in countries of implementation. To meet the growing operational demand, the secretariat will also continue to recruit further experts. 

Supporting most vulnerable countries and communities facing climate-related loss and damage guides the establishment and operationalisation of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage. To quickly and effectively support these countries and communities, the Board’s start-up phase (2025-2026), the so-called Barbados Implementation Modalities (BIM), turns this mission into action with an overall sum of USD 250 million for economic and non-economic loss and damage-related activities. This includes responses to extreme weather events and slow onset events, as well as support for developing national response systems. Due to their particular vulnerability, at least 50% of the BIM funding will go to the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

During the three days of B6, key discussion centred around:  

• Initial funding criteria for the Fund’s start-up phase, 
• Project/programme cycle for the start-up phase, 
• Initial access modalities including direct access, 
• Definition of the role and selection modalities of national focal points, ensuring a country-led and country-owned process. 

The board also mandated the secretariat to draft a policy on observers’ participation in board meetings. 

The coming months will be crucial in bringing the Fund closer to its goal of delivering timely, targeted, and just support to countries and communities. At the next board meeting in October, the Board plans to put out a call for proposals, with the goal to approve first projects at the following meeting in February 2026.

Santiago Network: Technical Assistance for Vanuatu 

The Santiago Network has completed a first match to deliver demand-driven technical assistance in Vanuatu. 

Vanuatu, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, has been a powerful voice for international action on loss and damage. Now, with support from the Santiago network, the country is set to develop an integrated plan to address the growing impacts of both extreme weather events and slow-onset events. 

The technical assistance will focus on four key areas:

• shaping a national vision for addressing loss and damage; 
• identifying capacity gaps; 
• developing ways to share knowledge, build skills and raise awareness; and 
• preparing a request for funding to the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage.

These outcomes will lay the foundation for a long-term programme, supported by enabling conditions, governance systems and financial mechanisms tailored to Vanuatu’s context.

Further information on the technical assistance for Vanuatu.