On 14th October, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Chair of the CVF-V20 Presidency, met with CVF Secretary General Mohamed Nasheed along with other members of the Secretariat in Bridgetown to outline key priorities for Barbados’ leadership of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). This meeting marks a significant step following Barbados’ assumption of the CVF-V20 Presidency in September 2024.
Key discussions centered on strategic priorities including the reform of the international financial architecture, sovereign debt relief and liquidity support for CVF-V20 members, and the multidimensional impacts of the climate crisis. Under those broad priorities, the leaders discussed the effects of climate change on public health, highlighting the increased pressures on health systems and the urgent need to advocate for climate refugees and those impacted by climate-related health risks. They also discussed pathways for Small Island Developing States to engage in carbon markets to monetize green and blue opportunities carbon credits.
Additionally, securing funding for climate resilience including through Climate Prosperity Plans was also identified as a core focus for the presidency.
Prime Minister Mottley also proposed a Global Methane Agreement, to reduce methane and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions. She emphasized that gas leaks from oil wells, rice paddies, and landfills as major sources of methane emissions that could be reduced to protect the 1.5 Centigrade limit of the Paris Agreement.
As Prime Minister Mottley assumes the role of Chair of the CVF-V20, these priority areas anchor much of the advocacy over the two-year term.
