FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas – A Panel Discussion on a Sustainable Development Agenda for Climate Vulnerable States was among the discussions facilitated as part of Diplomatic Week, 2024.
Moderated by His Excellency, Ambassador Chet Neymour, Bahamas Representative, Organization of American States, the discussion placed a prioritization on climate actions focused on adaptation and mitigation; resilience and inclusion; disaster risk management; innovative climate financing, and bilateral and regional cooperation for sustainable development — all important issues for Small-Island Developing States such as The Bahamas.
The discussion was said to be “timely”, given the climate-related threats The Bahamas and other Small-Island Developing States (SIDS) face as they relate to more frequent and intense hurricanes, storms and droughts, in addition to heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans, in addition to threats to food security, energy and fresh water supplies, in addition to marine and fresh-water ecosystems.
Experts say climate change will “increasingly threaten” the social, economic and natural systems of many Small-Island Developing States, thereby hindering progress towards achieving sustainable development. A warming climate is expected to impact the availability of necessities such as fresh water, food and energy.
Climate change further impacts society by disrupting the natural, economic and social systems societies depend on. This disruption can affect food supplies, industry supply chains and financial markets, damage infrastructure and cities, and harm human health and global development.
A proper sustainable development agenda for climate vulnerable states helps small-island states such as The Bahamas to limit, and adapt to, the many potential impacts of climate change.
Ambassador Neymour, who was instrumental in the planning and execution of the Fourth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Sustainable Development: “Climate Action: Building a Hemispheric Agenda to Secure our Future” held last year (2023) in New Providence, spoke to the significance of the discussion, and the importance of that discussion taking place in The Bahamas.
“The Bahamas is proverbially the poster child for climate crisis. We are faced with perennial hurricanes, we are also faced with sea-level rise and a number of other climate related incidents, (and) so we are probably the best suited to bring to the fore, matters in relation to small island developing states. We have a voice across a spectrum of fora that has been evident in the Prime Minister’s representation wherever he goes, and wherever members of the Foreign Services go. We echo the sentiments that climate change is real; that climate change is existential to us, and that we need to ensure the matter is given proper attention.”
Ambassador Neymour said one of the leading concerns for The Bahamas was being able to access “affordable and adequate financing for nations like The Bahamas and that goes beyond our hemisphere.”
During the discussions, panellists provided brief overviews of their perspectives on sustainable development priorities for climate vulnerable states, followed by an interactive dialogue and Questions and Answers.
The panellists included Her Excellency, Jerusa Lea Dean-Ali, Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; His Excellency, Paul A. Gomez, High Commissioner of The Bahamas to the Court of St. James; Her Excellency, Yan Jiarong, Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas; and His Excellency, Ruslan Rzayev, Azerbaijan Ambassador to The Bahamas.
Ms. Shirley Gayle, Country Representative, Inter-American Development Bank; Mr. Kishan Khoday, Resident Representative, UNDP Resident Representative in The Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos (virtual); Mr. Deon Stewart, GEF-SGP (Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Programme) Coordinator in The Bahamas and Mr. Ellsworth Weir, Director of Parks, Bahamas National Trust, all served as panellists.
