One message that has resonated across the conference halls at COP29 is the urgent call for increased access to critical climate finance.
The Commonwealth is home to 33 small states, 25 of which are Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These nations are on the frontlines of the battle against global warming, where unlocking vital funding is crucial to their recovery from climate-induced disasters and to strengthening their resilience.
“It's really important that the Commonwealth gave us this special segment on SIDS to talk about these issues because for us, it's survival,” stated Hon. Lenora Qereqeretabua, Fiji’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Qereqeretabua’s country is one of many across the Commonwealth facing the daily reality of rising sea levels.
“It’s very important for us that you come and put your feet on our sand, and you go to the villages that have been relocated, hear our stories, and see the graveyards that are now only visible at low tide,” she added.
The cost of the climate crisis for SIDS is significant; the average debt-to-GDP ratio in small states exceeds 64 per cent, and access to concessional finance—essential for resilience and recovery—is alarmingly restricted. Despite their needs, SIDS receive less than 1 per cent of global climate investments.
For many SIDS, the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH), which has already mobilised $384 million in funding with another $500 million in the pipeline, has been instrumental in offering some support.
Looking ahead to COP30 in Brazil and beyond, Hon. Cozier Frederick, Minister of the Environment in the Government of Dominica, said:
“We have to keep pushing to ensure that more commitments are given and to raise the bar, to ensure that the resources (are made) available to small island states.”
One way to do that, he stated, was for the Commonwealth Secretariat to take a seat on the board of newly-created funds such as the $1 billion Climate Action Fund proposed by Azerbaijan.
“The Secretariat has to be involved. I think there's good leadership there. I think small islands, like ours, need the support.”
Looking ahead, several SIDS leaders, while praising the recent support of the Commonwealth Secretariat, also called for sustained advocacy efforts, particularly beyond the upcoming COP in Brazil and into COP31. They expressed hope that COP31 would serve as a ‘Blue COP’ and be hosted in Australia.
Hon. Cedric Schuster, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment in the Government of Samoa and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, said:
“The family of the Commonwealth can help us advocate and push a lot for us, including the importance of oceans, but highlighting the vulnerabilities that we have in terms of climate change.”
Making note of such sentiments, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, ensured world leaders at COP29 that she would continue to push for finance, to help small island states in their fight for climate justice:
“The fight against climate change is the fight of our lives,” she declared.
