The upcoming Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit, to be hosted in Georgetown, Guyana from 23 to 25 July 2025, has received the full backing of CARICOM leaders as part of the Region’s stepped-up efforts to tackle the worsening climate crisis.
This commitment was reinforced during the Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where leaders reaffirmed their united stance on climate resilience and sustainable development for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The Heads of Government congratulated the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre on its 20th anniversary and recognised its crucial role in supporting Member States on climate action. However, they expressed concern about declining support from some developed countries for the unique challenges faced by SIDS, stressing that CARICOM negotiators must keep advocating forcefully for fair treatment under the global climate agenda.
Leaders called on major economies to urgently scale up their climate ambitions in line with the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake, and to fast-track action to keep the 1.5-degree target within reach. They also reiterated support for the Bridgetown Initiative and demanded reforms to the global financial architecture to ensure greater CARICOM representation and access to climate finance.
Rising insurance costs were flagged as a growing barrier to climate resilience and regional competitiveness, with leaders calling for a significant portion of the new US$300 billion climate finance target to be channelled through multilateral funds for adaptation and loss and damage in SIDS.
Heads of Government further approved a Revised Regional Framework prepared by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre to strengthen climate resilience across the Region. They also welcomed a landmark Advisory Opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that recognises the climate crisis as a threat to human rights, providing a legal basis for states to align climate action with their human rights obligations.
The Guyana summit is expected to build on this momentum, uniting stakeholders around biodiversity protection as a vital piece of the Region’s climate response.
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