Small Island Developing States climate finance advocacy

Leaders from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are advocating for systemic reforms to international climate finance, framing the issue as one of “justice, not charity.”

At the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Godwin Friday, called for the implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index to ensure financing reflects climate risks rather than income levels. He also endorsed the Bridgetown Initiative, which seeks automatic debt-service suspension during disasters and a shift in how multilateral development banks operate.

Following this, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, addressed the Global Citizen NOW Summit, describing climate change as an existential threat to economic sovereignty. Browne highlighted a “double injustice” where low-emitting nations face the most severe climate consequences while being forced to borrow at high interest rates to rebuild. He advocated for increased support for adaptation, loss and damage, and the use of grants as compensation to break the cycle of debt and reconstruction.

At a subsequent Global Citizen NOW Summit in Perth, Australia, Browne reiterated the need for affordable financing and warned that delays threaten the survival and cultural heritage of island states. He cited the 2017 devastation of Hurricane Irma, which destroyed approximately 95 per cent of properties in Barbuda at a cost of US$222 million—roughly 20 per cent of Antigua and Barbuda’s GDP. Browne argued that international commitments must include practical funding and accountability, emphasizing that national income metrics fail to reflect exposure to risks like rising sea levels.