“I have no intention to become a climate martyr.” Words spoken by the Prime Minister of the Bahamas captured both the sense of urgency and the willingness to advocate for action that was present throughout the first day of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4).
Delegates heard opening remarks in the morning. In a video address, King Charles III of the United Kingdom lauded islands for leading the way in tackling climate change, protecting biodiversity, and stewarding the global Ocean.
Want to dive deep into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
Conference President Gaston Browne hailed the advisory opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) of 21 May 2024, which affirmed the legal duty of state parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to immediately mitigate the impacts of climate change to protect the marine environment.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for doubling climate finance by 2025 and emphasized the need for the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index to help secure access to concessionary financing.
Other opening statements noted SIDS’ unique vulnerabilities to natural disasters and climate change, including sea level rise, and the need to address gender impacts and vulnerable populations.
The general debate began in the morning and continued through the afternoon with remarks from 18 heads of state and government, followed by representatives from another 15 countries. Key themes included:
- the dire threat posed by climate change, especially sea level rise;
- major polluting countries’ responsibility to help address impacts;
- and the gaps between the need for and access to finance, and between promises and delivery of funding.
Although the draft outcome document was agreed in advance of the conference, some expressed concern that it was not ambitious enough. The upcoming interactive dialogues may help elucidate options to accelerate actions outlined under the plan.
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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For the 4th SIDS Conference, please use: Photo by IISD/ENB - Diego Noguera
Opening Cultural Ceremony
VIPs admire the local performers
Opening
Delegates listen to the address by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Gaston Browne, President of the 4th SIDS Conference
Dennis Francis, President of the UN General Assembly
Paula Narváez, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States and Prime Minister of Samoa
Li Junhua, Secretary-General of the 4th SIDS Conference
Rabab Fatima, Special Advisor for the 4th SIDS Conference
Lutrell John, Youth representative
Participants during the opening of the Conference
Felipe Cobo Molina and María Susana Muhamad González, Colombia
Peter Thomson (center), UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, and Carlos Manuel Rodríguez (right), CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Rolph Payet (center), Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions
Vanessa Frazier (center), Malta
(L-R) Sione Tekiteki, Pacific Islands Forum, with Michael Lodge and Marie Bourrel-McKinnon, International Seabed Authority (ISA) Secretariat
Plenary
The dais at the beginning of the first plenary session
Wavel Ramkalawan, President of the Seychelles
Mohamed Muizzu, President of the Maldives
Hilda Heine, President of the Marshall Islands
Salvador Valdés Mesa, Vice-President of Cuba
José Maria Neves, President of Cabo Verde
Feleti Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu
Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan
Gaston Browne, President of the 4th SIDS Conference, moderates the session
Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of Guyana
Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands
Debra Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior
Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of Rwanda
David Adeang, President of Nauru
Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships
Philip Davis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas
Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste
The delegation from Tonga
Achim Steiner (2nd from right), Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), discusses informally during plenary
Participants pose for a photo during plenary
Press Conference
A press conference took place during lunch time
Around the Venue
Commitments from the SIDS Global Children & Youth Action Summit
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Jennifer Lee Morgan, State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, Germany
Elkin Valesquez Monsalve and Cerin Kizhakkethottam, UN-Habitat
The local media at the 4th SIDS Conference
Participants find solace from the heat