Virtual Island Summit 2022 comes to the Caribbean at ‘crucial’ time | Loop Barbados – Loop News Barbados

The 2022 Virtual Island Summit (VIS) came at the right time.

The week-long series of panels, discussions, and networking events saw some 10,000 people from over 500 islands around the world attending for the benefit of their environments.

VIS acknowledged that this is a crucial time between the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Climate Change Summit (COP27), when policymakers begin to work towards finding wide-scale solutions for climate action.

Recognising that since last years COP26 in Glasgow, there have been several developments affecting island communities, VIS highlighted the fact that Tuvalu, along with Antigua and Barbuda, created the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, to investigate potential legal pathways for vulnerable communities to access financial assistance from major economies. This was followed by stalled negotiations on loss and damage, which left the Alliance of Small Island States 'disappointed. Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has called for more accountability on climate action, while Vanuatu has proposed a treaty to phase out fossil fuels at UNGA.

The concerted pressure over the course of the year has led to movement on loss and damage by Denmark, who has announced that it wants to get the ball rolling on finding a resolution, by committing $13 million USD into the fund. Likewise, climate-vulnerable communities around the world have begun to rally together for more concerted action. In many ways, the VIS is a microcosm of global sustainable development, and highlights how knowledge-sharing can impact resilience-building and workable solutions.

Therefore, the online event, the fourth edition of VIS, drew a wide range of high-quality speakers and engaged audiences. The forty-session Summit was opened by Prime Minister Mottley, who lauded event organizers Island Innovation for their hard work in connecting global island communities with one another to find sustainable solutions.

The ability for leaders and experts of island nations to come together on the basis of our shared experiences during this climate crisis, is a moment that is of great importance not just to us who live in island nations, but indeed to the entire world, Prime Minister Mottley said. I truly believe we can, and must use this summit to advance the development of our global island community. As evidenced by the work Barbados has, and continues to do with respects to environmental advocacy and protection, we are ready to both take part, as well as grow via this important venture.

.All sessions of the Virtual Island Summit have been recorded and are available for replay here: https://islandinnovation.co/library/

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Virtual Island Summit 2022 comes to the Caribbean at 'crucial' time | Loop Barbados - Loop News Barbados