As global leaders convene for the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP29, in Azerbaijan's capital Baku, an NGO has warned of increasing climate-driven disasters that are disproportionately affecting Africa.

The International Rescue Committee urged global leaders and decision-makers at COP29 to utilize anticipatory tools and local expertise to forecast disasters and implement proactive, early-response measures, noting that of the 17 climate-vulnerable, conflict-affected countries identified by the IRC, 12 are in Africa.

In a statement published on Monday, the IRC said Africa has experienced extreme weather conditions in the past five years, including severe flooding and prolonged periods of drought, intensifying crises in regions already burdened by conflict and instability.

In Chad, the hardest-hit country in Africa, floods have affected 1.9 million people since January. More than 450,000 people in Cameroon have also been affected, while El Nino-driven rains in Burundi have displaced 200,000 people.

The floods have devastated homes and livelihoods, worsened public health and heightened the spread of waterborne diseases across the region.

More than 3 million people in West Africa are struggling to cope with the aftermath of floods, which have destroyed crops, damaged homes and contributed to sharp increases in cholera, malaria and malnutrition. Across the region, Mali, Niger and Nigeria witnessed some of the worst floods in decades.

Effects of climate change, compounded with armed conflict, are driving unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, displacement and food insecurity in West Africa, the IRC said.

In East Africa, South Sudan is the worst hit, with 1.3 million people having been affected by the continuing floods, one-fourth of whom have been displaced from their homes.

El Nino weather conditions experienced this year brought relentless rains causing catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides, widespread infrastructure damage and the displacement of hundreds of thousands across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda.

The torrential rains followed one of East Africa's most prolonged and severe droughts in recent memory following six consecutive failed rainy seasons. The worst drought in 40 years affected more than 35 million people by the close of 2022.

Bob Kitchen, vice-president for emergencies at the IRC, said anticipatory action is crucial in response to climate shocks.

Targeted assistance

"It enables us to provide earlier and targeted assistance to help populations caught up in the vicious cycle of poverty, conflict and displacement — challenges exacerbated by climate change," Kitchen said.

The IRC is urging donors to commit 5 percent of humanitarian budgets to anticipatory actions, he said.

With support in the form of cash and other resources in advance, the IRC said communities are empowered to make a significant difference in how quickly they recover from disaster, while simultaneously building climate resilience in the future.

The organization is also calling for investment in disaster-risk reduction through community-driven early-warning systems and predictive tools that trigger timely financial aid ahead of foreseeable climate events.

This is in addition to ensuring that financing is adaptable, multiyear and flexible, allowing for a proactive, rather than reactive, response.

"Donors should shift from a 'government-first' to a 'people-first' model of financing by creating more opportunities to work with nonsovereign delivery partners who often have the greatest access and capacity in conflict settings to communities in need," the organization said.