Antigua and Barbuda is set to host one of the most pivotal conferences of island
nations from around the world as they seek to regroup following a COP28 in Dubai
that fell short on delivering all of the necessary outcomes for safeguarding an
uncertain future.
The conference takes place at the end of May at the American University of
Antigua’s new state-of-the-art conference centre currently under construction at its
campus near Jabberwock. There is a feeling among would-be delegates that the
conference here in St. John’s has taken on much urgency due to the shortcomings
of the Dubai conference.
“During the international conference in Dubai, Antigua and Barbuda played an
integral role in a number of side events aimed at advancing discussion on major
goals and significant developments that are expected to materialise for these
islands during the country’s hosting of SIDS4 from May 27 – 30 this year,” a
media release from the Antigua and Barbuda Permanent Mission at the United
Nations noted.
A Centre of Excellence is expected to emerge from the SIDS4 Conference as a
game changer in addressing some of the gaps that island nations have been seeking
to overcome in building climate resilience, overcoming burdensome debt and
achieving their sustainable development goals. The centre will be a predetermined
point on the compass that SIDS would be able to use in setting course for a new
and brighter future and the Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is
determined to see this happen.
While leading the country’s high-level delegation at COP28, Prime Minister
Browne made use of every available opportunity to make the SIDS4 conference a
point of emphasis, diving into the goals and priorities of the Centre of Excellence
in addressing the main areas of concern that island nations face in overcoming their
peculiar challenges.
A defining initiative of the Centre of Excellence will be a Data Hub, an
empowering feature for small and micro states that will usher in a new era in
accessing the resources they need from a global financial architecture that impedes
more than supports recovery and development.
At a COP28 Launch of the SIDS Global Data Hub, Prime Minister Browne stated:
“The excuse should no longer be by the international community, “we are unable
to assist SIDS because there is no data”.
“The SIDS Global Data Hub is a tool of empowerment, equipping policymakers,
scientists, and communities with the insights needed to chart a course towards
climate resilience, the SDGS and the fulfilment of the next 10-year framework that
will be adopted in Antigua and Barbuda at SIDS4,” he stated.
