AOSIS Ministers finalize COP26 Decisions

Glasgow, Scotland, November 3, 2021—As climate-vulnerable countries continue to push for meaningful outcomes from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, representatives of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) met on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, to finalize the position of the group going into negotiations.

Areas of focus included climate financing, a cap of 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise, capacity building, and phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies.

During the meeting, the Federation’s Environment Minister, the Hon. Eric Evelyn highlighted the importance of climate financing and the creation of mechanisms for small island developing states to easily access such finance and encouraged the grouping to be strong in the advocacy of its position. Minister Evelyn also highlighted the need for developing countries to translate talk into action.

During Minister Evelyn’s intervention, he also noted that St Kitts and Nevis would be launching its revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) at COP26.

Chair of the meeting and the AOSIS, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne congratulated St. Kitts and Nevis for its revised ambitious NDC.

The AOSIS meeting was also attended by the prime ministers of Jamaica, Barbados, and Saint Lucia as well as Environment Ministers from Grenada and Dominica.

AOSIS is an intergovernmental organisation of low-lying coastal and small island countries. AOSIS was established in 1990, ahead of the Second World Climate Conference. The main purpose of the alliance is to consolidate the voice of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address global warming. There are 39 countries within the AOSIS grouping.