UN chief appeals for greater support for small islands fighting climate change

Kingstown [Saint Vincent and the Grenadines], March 3: More funding is needed to support Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on the frontlines of climate change, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Mr. Guterres visited a project that is helping the Caribbean nation to combat the effects of coastal erosion and rising seas - among the impacts of global warming, the UN News reported.
While commending the initiative, known as the Georgetown Sea Defence, he underlined the need for greater solidarity and financial support.
"We must have stronger support from the international community - what we call climate justice - which means adequate financing at low cost, quickly decided, in order to allow for all these works that we have been seeing to protect the island against the sea, and against the floods and storms," he said.
Responding to a journalist's question, Mr. Guterres said that SIDS must have quick and easy access to climate finance through the Loss and Damage Fund.
The long-awaited mechanism to help vulnerable countries offset the damage from droughts, floods and other extreme weather caused by climate change, finally became operational at the UN COP28 climate conference in Dubai last year.
Mr. Guterres explained that under the fund, small projects like the one he visited would not require the same level of bureaucracy as those costing billions.
They instead call for "quick decisions and quick operationalization of the money available, and much more funding," he said.
"The people of the Small Island Developing States are on the frontlines of climate change. They did not contribute to global warming, but they are paying the price," he added.
Source: Emirates News Agency