5 October 2016: Small island developing States (SIDS) representatives called for attention to the physical aspects of resilience building, and their potential to boost economic growth, at a Wilson Center event in Washington DC, US. The half-day event, supported by Munich Re in cooperation with the Brazil Institute and George Mason University, highlighted the role that SIDS play as innovators of climate resilience.

Two panels discussed, in turn, how islands can serve as resilience “incubators,” and what other countries can learn from them about adaptation and dealing with climate risk.

In the opening session, Angus Friday, Grenada’s ambassador to the US and former Head of the Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS), highlighted that much work has already been done on the “soft” aspects of institutional capacity and institution building, including stakeholder engagement, communication and public awareness. He noted, however, that many homes in his country are not hurricane-proof, in the way that homes are in some of the wealthier SIDS. He added that damage for Hurricane Ivan had amounted to 200% of Grenada’s GDP and destroyed 90% of homes, and that there is “a bricks-and-mortar element” to managing climate risk.

Friday suggested that countries’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) under the Paris Agreement on climate change could be the starting point for resilience building measures that promote economic opportunities – for example, through investments in renewable energy that can alleviate the high amount that SIDS households currently spend on electricity powered by imported fossil fuels. He also emphasized the possibility of using public sector funds to leverage private sector investments, highlighting Grenada’s development of a prospectus for international investors on potential investments in tourism, fisheries and projects that will build natural capital.

Ronny Jumeau, Seychelles’ ambassador for climate change and SIDS issues, and Vice-President of the SIDS-DOCK energy initiative, observed that multilateral discussions of climate change, resilience building and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) inevitably center round financing. He drew attention to the way that SIDS in the African region are using debt-for-adaptation swaps to raise financing for marine protected areas (MPAs). He highlighted that many SIDS encompass far more ocean territory than land, and should therefore invest in marine spatial planning to ensure the sustainable development of marine areas surrounding MPAs. As an example, he cited Seychelles’ ongoing cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and the World Bank, and its work on issuing “blue bonds” to support sustainable fisheries. He said that Seychelles, together with Mauritius, will be supporting Oceans Day at the forthcoming 22nd session of the Conference of Parties (COP 22) to the UNFCCC in Marrakesh, Morocco, in November 2016, and are playing a lead role in promoting African countries’ involvement in strengthening ocean resilience.

Jainey Bavishi, White House Council on Environmental Quality, noted that Pacific island countries helped craft the global response to climate change, and have provided “a moral compass” to the international community on this issue. She highlighted the US Government’s recent commitment of US$40 million to the Pacific region for regional, national and local actions to enhance resilience and recovery from disasters, including US$15 million to USAID for technical expertise and resources that will empower local communities, US$10 million to the ‘Climate Ready’ programme, US$5 million to regional organizations, and US$8 million for an insurance facility.

Other speakers at the event, hosted by the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program, included: Maxine Burkett, University of Hawaii; Kalim Shah, Indiana University; Kate Brown of the Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA); Shereen d’Souza, US State Department; John Furlow, USAID; and Thomas Lovejoy, UN University (UNU).

The Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program has three focal areas: environmental security and peacebuilding; sustainable development and climate resilience; and population dynamics. [Event Web Page] [Web Page about the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program]