Small Island States’ Dynamism Critical in Holding Biggest Emitters Accountable, Ensuring Scaled-up Climate Financing, Secretary-General Tells Alliance Meeting

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the Alliance of Small Island States Leaders Meeting, in New York today:

Small island States have a big impact in our world.  You place defining issues for humanity and the planet firmly on the global agenda.  You show the power of multilateralism through unity, collaboration, and determination. And you lead internationally on many fronts — not least with your new Declaration on Sea Level Rise and Statehood.

But global crises have an outsize impact.  The climate crisis is pounding your communities and economies – and compounding the effects of years of global economic turmoil.

In many of your countries, tourism — which is so central to economies and livelihoods — has not fully recovered from COVID-19.  The global cost-of-living crisis has hit you hard. And a number of you are grappling with debt — forcing you to service it instead of investing in your people.

But I see the Alliance of Small Island States leading the charge for change.  The United Nations is proud to stand with you and to partner with you to deliver on the recently adopted Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for small island developing States.

Together we must keep pushing for action on climate and on finance.  We need new national climate plans — or NDCs — from all countries that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

These new climate plans should double as investment plans, boosting sustainable, resilient development, and targeting inequalities. The biggest emitters — the G20 — must lead these efforts, including a fair global phase out of fossil fuels.

I am working with President Lula of Brazil to drive action in the G20.  But the moral authority and dynamism of the Alliance will be critical.  You did the least to cause this crisis.  You account for just 0.2 per cent of global emissions.  But you play an outsized role in holding the biggest emitters to account.

We must also call for significant contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund and press developed countries to honour their promises on adaptation finance.  And all countries must reach an ambitious agreement at COP29 [the twenty-ninth UN Climate Change Conference] — including on new and innovative finance.

More broadly, your nations need fundamental action, to scale-up development and climate finance, scale-down the cost of such capital, and tackle the sovereign debt crisis.

We welcome the small island developing States Debt Sustainability Support Service.  And the Summit of the Future has shown that it is possible to make the international financial system bigger, bolder and more representative of today’s world.  We must keep pressing for change — including at the Fourth Financing for Development Conference.  My congratulations on the General Assembly’s recent endorsement of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index.

We must ensure that vulnerable middle-income countries can access concessional funds.  Your efforts mean the eligibility and access of these countries to concessional finance can no longer be ignored.  Let’s keep up the pressure on the Multilateral Development Banks to incorporate structural vulnerability into their lending criteria.

The United Nations is with you — speaking in harmony and standing in solidarity.  Let’s keep working for the change you — and our world — need.  Thank you.