Antigua and Barbuda, 30th May 2024: Whilst in Antigua and Barbuda for the SIDS4 International Conference, the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Wavel Ramkalwan participated in the African Island States Climate Commission AIS High-Level Dialogue themed “Leveraging partnerships for climate resilience and sustainable finance” organised by the Seychelles yesterday.
The African Island States Climate Commission (AISCC), with the support of its partners organised the high-level dialogue together with its 9 member states. The event presented opportunities to highlight a number of initiatives that could support members in advancing island states transition to a climate resilient future, one specifically the RESIslands project, funded by the GCF, and to be implemented by the UNECA on behalf of the AISCC member states.
Speaking at the dialogue, President Ramkalawan underscored the Climate Change plight and other challenges faced by African Small Islands States. Despite being some of the countries in Africa that are doing extremely well on a Socio-Economic perspective, the biggest challenge still remains accessing funding required to combat threats affecting the very survival of small island nations.
“ In the face of the Climate Crisis, all SIDS are under threat, we are all being affected regardless of our land mass, location, population size or economic status. Our islands stand at the forefront of climate vulnerability, grappling with rising sea levels, extreme weather events, coastal erosion and ecosystem degradation. This crisis has far-reaching consequences on the sustainability of our island nations. Therefore, today I wish to reiterate how crucial it is for us all, as SIDS, to join together with one strong voice to echo a strategic way forward that will better address the unique and critical challenges affecting island nations" stressed President Ramkalawan.
Considerations to allow access to concessionary financing rates which will allow SIDS to thrive and better address threats affecting their very survival were among some of the key points raised by President Ramkalawan during his intervention.
The High-Level Dialogue also saw the participation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cabo Verde, His Excellency Jose Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva. This dialogue was built on the outcomes of previous discussions held during the UNFCCC COP 28, the African Climate Summit and the 37th African Union Summit among others.
The events also convened Ministers, Ambassadors and senior representatives of the nine member states of the AISCC, as well as other member States, development partners, civil society and youth organizations, and other key stakeholders in the AIS Region and partner countries.
Speakers addressed innovations on climate finance, including blue bonds and debt for ocean swaps, and contributions on establishing a common approach to climate resilience across the region. The event facilitated reflections on the current status, challenges and lessons learned from AIS region and African SIDS access to finance, as well as discussions on future priorities and options for facilitating access modalities that take into account the fiscal reality of the islands in the region.
In addition to the high level dialogue, which was held in the morning, the AISCC convened AIS members technical session in the afternoon to further expand on the discussions on a technical level.
The AISCC member states include Cabo Verde, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Zanzibar - Tanzania