On the opening day of the UN COP28 Climate Summit underway in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023, the Loss and Damage fund was established, with wealthy nations agreeing to provide financial assistance to help compensate countries struggling with loss and damage, caused by climate change.
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Several nations – including hosts United Arab Emirates and Germany, each committed to donating U.S.$100 million to the fund. Uganda is one of the first of seven nations to benefit from the fund.
Africa is especially vulnerable to loss, damage and suffering. Severe drought and flooding has led to hundreds of deaths, tens of thousands of displacements, and devastated economies in southern Africa at the start of 2023, Hyacinthe Niyitegeka, coordinator of the Loss and Damage Collaboration told African Arguments.
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Heavy rainfall and floods from Nigeria to the DR Congo, to South Africa, have swept away infrastructure, destroyed livelihoods, and ended lives. Other aspects are primarily non-economic – such as loss of lives, biodiversity, cultural heritage, indigenous knowledge and language, and damage to ecosystems, soil quality, health, and mental health.