FEATURES
When Climate Vulnerability Becomes Personal
Damage to infrastructure and agriculture, disruptions to transport and services, and the costs of emergency response ripple across the economy. When such shocks recur year after year, recovery becomes partial and fragile. Each rebuilding effort begins before the last has fully ended.
From the outside, climate impacts are often described as temporary setbacks. On the ground, they feel structural. Resources that could support education, healthcare, industrial development, or job creation are repeatedly redirected toward response and repair. Public debt grows not through poor decisions, but because climate shocks leave governments with few alternatives.
When Climate Reality Hits Home: CVF-V20 Secretariat in Madagascar as a Category 4 Cyclone Makes Landfall
As a Category 4 cyclone slams into Madagascar’s coastline, the force of climate change is no longer abstract, it is immediate, physical, and deeply human. The CVF Secretariat team on the ground is witnessing firsthand how climate vulnerability translates into real-time emergency response, institutional coordination, and community resilience under pressure.
High Seas Treaty Enters Into Force
The first legally binding ocean instrument to provide for inclusive ocean governance, known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, entered into force on January 17, 120 days after at least 60 countries have ratified the treaty.
Liberia to Implement Carbon Levy on Maritime Shipping
The Republic of Liberia becomes the third African country to introduce a carbon levy on maritime shipping, after Djibouti’s and Gabon’s domestic implementation. Starting on March 1 this year, the country will impose a USD 25 per tonne fee on CO2 emitted by ships entering and leaving its ports.
Marshall Islands Pioneers Climate Resilience Strategy for Atoll Nations
The Blue-Green Atolls Project by the Republic of Marshall Islands begins its preparation phase after securing approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund. Initial stages include technical assessments, stakeholder engagement, and the mobilization of complementary public and private finance. With the United Nations Development Programme as the implementing agency, the project receives USD 38.5 million from co-financing and USD 8.537 million from the GEF Project Grant.
Fellowship Sessions Empower Climate Leaders to Drive Bold Action
January 2026 witnessed a transformative gathering of climate champions as the CVF-V20 Secretariat hosted a series of fellowship retreats and a residency to equip youth and mid-to-senior-level officials from the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations with co-learning and networking opportunities necessary to advance ambitious development-positive climate action.
Youth Climate Leadership in Action: Building Pakistan’s Voice for COP30
The CVF-V20 Secretariat convened a Youth Roundtable on Climate Non-Negotiables in Islamabad, Pakistan, on September 17, bringing together youth leaders, climate advocates, and representatives from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, academia, and civil society. The dialogue, organized in collaboration with the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), served as a national platform for youth to reflect on Pakistan’s recent climate catastrophes and define priorities for the upcoming COP-30 in Belém, Brazil.
Sindh Consultations Engage Private Sector and Financial Institutions for Climate Prosperity
As part of the ongoing in-country consultations for the Pakistan Climate Prosperity Plan (CPP), the CVF-V20 visited the city of Karachi in Sindh on September 3 to 4 to engage with the province’s public–private ecosystem on climate investment and innovation.
Ancient Corals Confirm: Maldives Sea Level Rise Began Decades Earlier
A significant study recently published in the journal Nature Communications has provided a critical, long-term history of sea-level change, directly impacting the climate outlook for the low-lying Maldives and Lakshadweep archipelagos.
Jordan Unveils Long-Term Climate-Resilient National Health Roadmap
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan launched its ten-year National Climate Change Health Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (HNAP), joining the roster of first countries to climate-proof its health systems. The comprehensive roadmap, spanning from 2024 to 2034, outlines Jordan’s strategic response to climate-related health risks across seven priority areas—airborne and respiratory diseases, water- and food-borne illnesses, vector-borne diseases, nutrition, heatwaves, occupational health, and mental health.
V20 Central Bank Governors Working Group Organizes a Technical Committee on Climate Shocks and Balance of Payments
The Study Visit in Manila on August 26 bore much fruit as members of the V20 Central Bank Governors Working Group agreed to create a Technical Committee on Climate Shocks and Balance of Payments. The Study Visit aimed to strengthen technical collaboration and innovation among CVF-V20 central banks, focused on integrating climate risks into macroeconomic analysis and modeling tools in support of climate prosperity.
PH Completes In-Country Consultation and Stocktake in the Global Shield Implementation
The Republic of the Philippines continues to make strides as a country pathfinder under the G77-V20 Global Shield against Climate Risks initiative after completing the in-country process and stocktake, led by the Climate Finance Policy Group of the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC). Progress is underway for the gap analysis, bringing the country closer to developing its request for Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance (CDRFI) support.
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