At a meeting in Germany, developed countries commit to providing $9.3 billion to the global climate fund.

VIENNA — Developed countries pledged $9.3 billion to help poor nations tackle climate change at a conference held in the German city of Bonn on Thursday, authorities said. However, nongovernmental groups criticized the outcome, saying the funds fall short of what is needed to tackle climate change.

The commitments will assist in refilling the Green Climate Fund, which is located in South Korea and was created in 2010 to financially support developing nations. This fund is the largest of its kind and aims to provide funding to help poorer countries reduce their emissions, adapt to the effects of climate change, and accelerate their shift towards clean energy.

The funds committed at the Bonn conference will be utilized to support initiatives in developing and emerging countries from 2024 to 2027. The German government, on its own, pledged a sum of 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion).

Twenty-five nations presented new commitments, while five indicated their intention to announce theirs soon.

In a joint statement, the German Foreign Ministry and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development expressed that the total amount collected is expected to be significantly greater.

Three quarters of contributing states increased their pledges, compared to the previous donor conference in 2019, including Germany, Austria and France. Denmark, Ireland and Liechtenstein doubled their pledges.

No mention was made regarding any commitments from the United States. The office of John Kerry, the U.S. climate envoy, was not accessible for immediate comment.

During a virtual climate summit at the White House in April, President Joe Biden revealed his commitment to providing $1 billion in fresh climate finance to developing countries.

Nevertheless, the commitments received criticism from civil society and NGOs, who argue that they do not adequately address the challenges faced by vulnerable communities in developing countries affected by climate change.

Harjeet Singh, the Head of Global Political Strategy of the Climate Action Network International, a global network of over 1900 environmental civil society organizations in over 130 countries, stated that the Green Climate Fund, which was intended to be crucial for climate action in developing nations, is hindered by the lack of interest from affluent countries.

Singh expressed that the silence from the United States is both noticeable and unjustifiable.

Liane Schalatek, the associate director at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Washington, expressed that developed nations are still not fulfilling their responsibility to assist developing countries and affected individuals and communities in taking immediate climate actions.

Financial assistance to less affluent countries will be a significant factor at the forthcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, commencing in Dubai towards the end of November.

Sultan Al Jaber, president designate of COP28, told The Associated Press in a statement that “the current level of replenishment is neither ambitious nor adequate to meet the challenge the world faces.”

“He stated that we need to extend our assistance to those who are most vulnerable and are experiencing negative effects due to the increasing impacts of climate change.”

Svenja Schulze, the German Minister for Economic Development and host of the Bonn conference, urged additional countries to contribute their fair portion to the financial endeavor.

Schulze stated that in addition to other developed countries, there is a growing recognition of the role that non-traditional donors have in taking responsibility for climate change. This includes Gulf states that have become wealthy through fossil energy and emerging nations like China, which contribute significantly to carbon emissions.

The conference was attended by delegates from 40 different countries.

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This report was contributed to by Dana Beltaji in London and Seth Borenstein in Washington, who are Associated Press writers.

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment