CARICOM names ministerial leads for UN Climate Conference

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has appointed five ministerial champions to lead key negotiation areas at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, as the region intensifies its advocacy for urgent climate action.

The conference, scheduled for November 11-22, 2024, comes as CARICOM member states continue rebuilding from Hurricane Beryl, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages at the start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

CARICOM’s approach focuses on limiting global warming to below 1.5°C and securing guaranteed access to climate finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), particularly for adaptation and loss and damage initiatives.

The appointed ministerial champions include:

• Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Planning and Development, Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, leading Just Transition

• Belize’s Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Orlando Habet, championing Finance and the New Collective Quantified Goal

• Grenada’s Minister of Climate Resilience, the Environment, and Renewable Energy, Kerryne James, heading Global Stocktake

• Suriname’s Minister of Spatial Planning and Environment, Dr Marciano Dasai, leading Markets

• Dominica’s Minister for the Environment, Rural Modernisation and Kalinago Upliftment, Cozier Frederick, spearheading Adaptation

A ministerial champion for Loss and Damage will be announced at a later date.

The appointments follow CARICOM Heads of Government’s July meeting, where leaders emphasized the importance of unified advocacy in climate negotiations.

The regional body is seeking to secure a climate finance goal that guarantees access for SIDS to grant-based or concessional finance through minimum allocation floors and highest levels of concessionality.

CARICOM plans a strong presence at COP29, including heads of government, ministers, negotiators, youth delegates, and experts from the CARICOM Secretariat and other regional institutions.

These representatives will engage in key bilateral meetings to ensure Caribbean priorities are recognized in conference outcomes.

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