Antigua and Barbuda takes center stage at pioneering Climate Fund Meeting

Energy efficiency and commitment to combating climate change is evident for Antigua and Barbuda at the 4th meeting of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) held at the Philippines.

Working with Board Member Peter Abraham Jr. and Primary Advisor Ambassador Ruleta Camacho Thomas, the nation is using this opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face.

This is quite a significant meeting in several ways. The meeting is the 1st FRLD Board meeting in the Philippines, the new hosting country. The nation welcomes Executive Director, Ibrahima Cheikh Diong who started his tenure on November 1, 2024.

For Antigua and Barbuda, it is not just any meeting, it is the place to influence the developments in climate finance and future developments.

Sitting on the Board of the Fund for SIDS, this nation bears the duty of ensuring that the Fund is responsive to the fact that such disasters propped by climate change are bound to affect small islands.

Following on from COP 29 held in Baku, when Ambassador Camacho Thomas debated with Diong, Antigua and Barbuda seeks to keep the Fund relevant to the challenges facing vulnerable states.

These discussions have already laid much of the groundwork of synchronizing the Fund’s operational objectives with the exigent requirements of SIDS.

The purpose of this meeting is to take forward the operationalization plan for the FRLD, which is a vital part in the process of closing gaps in climate finance for the global community.

To developing countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, the Fund is a sign of relief. It is a means that will help pool together immediate money, once called upon, due to the effects of climate change.

Antigua and Barbuda’s active participation demonstrates not only the risks faced by the country but also the leadership that SIDS can and should take in climate negotiations, the significance of their positions to climate finance.