When The Bahamas hosted the Fourth Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Escazú Agreement in April, it marked the first time the conference had been held in the Caribbean. For a region on the front lines of climate change, biodiversity loss and intensifying development pressures, the moment could not be more timely.The Escazú Agreement is a landmark regional treaty that guarantees the rights to access information, public participation, and justice in environmental matters. At its core, it is about how decisions are made, who has a voice, and how human rights are protected when development and environmental protection intersect. For small island and coastal states, where ecosystems are fragile and communities depend directly on land, sea and natural resources, these principles are fundamental.Ten of the 19 countries that have ratified the Escazú Agreement are from the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.Their leadership reflects a growing regional commitment to transparency, participation, accountability and the protection of environmental human rights defenders. I encourage other Caribbean States to follow their example.The urgency is clear. Climate change is intensifying storms, flooding and sea‑level rise. Biodiversity loss threatens food security and livelihoods. At the same time, development pressures continue to grow. Decisions taken today will determine whether development strengthens resilience and inclusion or deepens inequality and environmental harm.These issues were front and centre at an official COP side event  organized by the UN Human Rights Office. Speakers representing diverse sectors of society engaged openly on the human rights obligations of States and responsibilities of businesses and one message was clear: communities affected by environmental decisions must be informed early and able to participate meaningfully.This is not only a human rights obligation; it is also sound policy. When communities are excluded, projects often face resistance, delays and loss of trust. When participation is genuine and timely, decisions are stronger, risks are better managed, and outcomes are more sustainable over time.But challenges remain. Greater awareness is still needed of the protections and opportunities the Agreement offers – not only for communities, but also for States and businesses. One of the Agreement’s most important provisions is Article 9, which focuses on the protection of environmental human rights defenders. Across the Caribbean, individuals and communities work courageously to protect ecosystems and the rights of others, often with limited resources and at personal risk.  Intimidation or reprisals against those who raise environmental concerns are incompatible with international human rights law and with the commitments States have made under the Escazú Agreement. They also undermine the principles of participation and trust that Caribbean countries reaffirmed at the COP. States in the region should ensure that individuals working to defend the environment and human rights are able to carry out this work safely and without intimidation. And businesses operating in the Caribbean must ensure that their activities do not contribute – directly or through their value chains – to threats, criminalization or reprisals against those who raise environmental concerns. The UN Human Rights Office for the Caribbean remains committed to supporting States through capacity‑building, and technical assistance on the rights of access to information, public participation in decision‑making, access to justice, and the application of a human rights‑based approach to environmental action. Hosting COP4 in The Bahamas was a powerful reminder that the Caribbean is not only vulnerable – it is also leading. With continued cooperation and political will, the Escazú Agreement can help ensure that development is inclusive and participatory and that it protects the right to a healthy environment for present and future generations.

Op-Ed Co-Authors: Simon Springett, UN Resident Coordinator, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean; Sai Navoti, Chief, Small Island Developing States Unit, Division for SDGs, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); and Miosotis Rivas-Peña, Director, Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).The world’s most climate-exposed countries are not necessarily poor, but they are deeply at risk—a reality our current systems fail to see. While many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) look stable on paper based on their income, constant climate disasters are chipping away at their progress. Between 1970 and 2020, extreme weather events caused an estimated US$153 billion in losses across SIDS, dwarfing their average national GDP of just US$13.7 billion. ¹ Today, fourteen of the twenty countries with the highest disaster losses compared to their economy's size are SIDS. ² In years when storms strike Caribbean SIDS, losses average 17 per cent of GDP; ³ in 2017 alone, Hurricane Maria cost the Commonwealth of Dominica 225 per cent of its GDP. ⁴ As a result, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has stalled, with 45 per cent of regional targets either standing still or sliding backward. ⁵ These challenges are not anomalies, but permanent hurdles that global rules have long ignored when deciding who gets financial help.The root of this problem is a labeling error that SIDS have fought for years to fix. Many are classed as "middle-" or "high-income," a label that cuts off access to low-interest loans exactly when they need to invest in resilience. The adoption of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) by General Assembly Resolution 78/322 in August 2024 is the result of decades of hard work. This move was more than just approving a new math formula; it was a global admission that income alone is a poor way to judge if a country needs support. Research shows there is no real link between a country's income and its MVI score across SIDS: they measure different things. ⁶ A nation can have a high average income but still be physically fragile and unable to bounce back, a situation the UN calls “double fragility”. ⁷ The average MVI score for SIDS is 55–58, compared to a global average of 52.9—a gap that income statistics hide. ⁸ The MVI, paired with a detailed "Country Profile" (VRCP), finally gives these nations a way to tell their whole story.Global support for the MVI is growing. The 2025 Sevilla Commitment invites banks and global groups to use the MVI to guide their policies and make it easier for vulnerable countries to access affordable funding. ⁹ This is a major step forward: the MVI now has recognition not only within the UN system but within the broader financing for development landscape. The Caribbean Development Bank is already looking at how these scores could change which members qualify for aid. The next goal is to build the local evidence that makes this shift permanent, an effort backed by the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).In this light, the pilot project completed in January 2026 by UN teams in the Caribbean and New York is a major leap forward. Working with Saint Kitts and Nevis, the project created a roadmap for these Country Profiles that can be used anywhere. The structure of these profiles is vital because it looks at everything from the national economy down to the struggles of individual families—details that standard reports often miss. Crucially, these profiles work with existing government plans rather than creating extra work. The Saint Kitts and Nevis pilot showed that while national offices are stable, the country remains highly exposed to climate, trade, and financial shocks, with families being the most at risk. This is the "double fragility" mentioned earlier, now mapped out in clear, useful detail.The money gap these profiles aim to fill is very real. Hurricane Beryl caused approximately US$219 million in economic damage in Grenada in 2024, equivalent to 16.5 per cent of GDP. ¹⁰ In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the same storm inflicted US$230.6 million in direct damage, approximately 22 per cent of GDP, with some islands losing 80 per cent of everything they had. ¹¹ In Barbados, struck as a Category 3 storm, overall effects were estimated at 193 million Barbados dollars (approx. US$96.5 million and approximately 1.4 per cent of GDP), concentrated in the fisheries, tourism, and coastal infrastructure sectors. ¹² Even with record-breaking insurance payouts and debt relief, only about a quarter of Grenada’s losses were recovered. ¹³ Then, in October 2025, Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as the strongest storm in its history, causing total losses of US$12.2 billion, equivalent to 56.7 per cent of GDP. ¹⁴  This is not a failure of planning; it's a flaw in a system that doesn't account for risk. These Country Profiles provide the data needed to demand funding that matches the actual danger.The stakes of completing the remaining VRCP pilots before the Expert Panel commences its work cannot be overstated. The General Assembly resolution establishing the Independent 15-member Expert Advisory Panel for the 2026–2030 term calls explicitly for at least four pilot VRCPs to be completed in advance. These pilots are not just examples, they are the evidence the panel will use to decide how the MVI works for all countries. They are the foundation on which the Panel will assess methodology, refine indicators, and determine the operational parameters of the VRCP for global implementation. The first pilot is done. Every new one finished before the Panel meets helps shape the future of this tool. The window of opportunity is open, but it won’t stay open forever.This is also a landmark year for the United Nations as it turns 80. The "UN80" reform goal is to ensure the UN makes the biggest impact possible with limited funds. With 68 per cent of global goals off-track ¹⁵, the UN’s reputation depends on using tools that identify who truly need help. These Country Profiles do exactly that. Vulnerability that isn't measured can't be funded. The MVI provides the ruler; the Country Profile puts it to use on the ground.As authors representing the UN’s economic experts and its teams on the front lines, we call on all partners and banks to support the final pilot projects immediately. The facts are clear, the method works, and the mandate is there. We only need the will to act. Island nations have waited long enough to be seen for who they are. The tools are ready. The moment is now. The authors write in their institutional capacities. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the United Nations or its Member States. Sources: Bharadwaj, R., Karthikeyan, N. and Kumar, B.A. (2024). Redefining credit ratings for Small Island Developing States: a pathway to climate resilience and economic stability. IIED, London. Also cited in: Koissy-Kpein, S.A. (2026). The United Nations Multidimensional Vulnerability Index: Why Should Pacific SIDS Lead the Call for Piloting? UN Micronesia Working Paper Series No. 5, January 2026.Ibid. Data sourced from EM-DAT / IIED (2024).UNDP Latin America. “After the Rain: The Lasting Effects of Storms in the Caribbean.” UNDP, 2018. Average annual storm damages as a share of GDP (EM-DAT, 1963–2017, years in which countries were struck).Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica / ACAPS Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, Hurricane Maria, September 2017. Total losses estimated at US$1.37 billion (225% of 2016 GDP). Also cited in: IMF Finance & Development, March 2018. Ninth report on regional progress and challenges in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Latin AmericaOECD (2024). Using the new UN MVI to identify and fill in vulnerability financing gaps in SIDS. DCD (2024)16; United Nations (2024). High-Level Panel on the Development of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index: Final Report. Also cited in Koissy-Kpein (2026), op. cit.Koissy-Kpein, S.A. (2026), op. cit. “Double fragility” refers to the position of high structural vulnerability combined with high lack of structural resilience, as illustrated in the MVI quadrant analysis across SIDS regions.Koissy-Kpein, S.A. (2026), op. cit. Table 1: Average MVI by SIDS region. Pacific SIDS: 57.5; Caribbean SIDS: 55.0; Other SIDS: 58.0; Global average: 52.9. Source: UN OHRLLS MVI preliminary country scores.United Nations (2025). Sevilla Commitment: Outcome Document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. Pillar III: International Development Cooperation and Development Effectiveness. Seville, June 2025.World Bank, Global Rapid post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) Report: Grenada — Hurricane Beryl, August 2024. Total economic damage approximately US$219 million (~16.5% of 2023 GDP).World Bank, Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) Report: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — Hurricane Beryl, August 2024. Total economic damages US$230.6 million (~22% of 2023 GDP); southern Grenadines accounted for US$186.8 million (81% of total). GFDRR / World Bank, published 5 August 2024.ECLAC (2024). Assessment of the Effects and Impacts of Hurricane Beryl on Barbados. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago. Overall effects estimated at BDS$193 million (~1.4% of GDP); tourism, fisheries and agriculture, and the environment accounted for 84% of total effects. Also: World Bank, Barbados Beryl Emergency Response and Recovery Project, Press Release, 21 November 2024.CCRIF SPC, Press Release, 9 July 2024 (sovereign TC payout: US$42.42 million, confirmed largest single sovereign payout in CCRIF history, disbursed within 14 days); CCRIF / St. Lucia Times, July 2024 (GRENLEC: US$9.3 million; NAWASA: US$2.2 million); Centre for Disaster Protection (2025), Hurricane Beryl: Record Parametric Payouts. In a world first, Grenada activates debt pause after Hurricane Beryl destructionWorld Bank / IDB, Global Rapid Damage Estimation (GRADE) Report: Jamaica — Hurricane Melissa, November 2025. Physical damage US$8.8 billion (~41% of 2024 GDP). Comprehensive damage, loss and additional cost assessment (DALA) subsequently published by PIOJ / ECLAC, March 2026: total US$12.232 billion (56.7% of 2024 GDP). See also: Jamaica Observer, 4 March 2026; Planning Institute of Jamaica, Quarterly Economic Briefing, October–December 2025.The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025  

The recent establishment by the UNESCO General Conference of an International Day dedicated to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to be celebrated every year on 25 April, marks more than a symbolic recognition. It represents a necessary shift in the way the international community understands vulnerability, resilience, and global responsibility. For the Caribbean and other island regions across the world, this day is not an abstract commemoration. It is a reflection of lived realities, persistent challenges, and extraordinary capacities for adaptation.Small Island Developing States are often described through the lens of fragility. Rising sea levels, intensifying hurricanes, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss, and economic exposure are recurrent themes in global discussions. While these challenges are real and urgent, they do not define the full story. They do not capture the ingenuity of communities who have developed sophisticated forms of resilience long before resilience became a policy concept.The International Day invites us to reconsider the narrative. It asks the world to move beyond viewing Small Island Developing States solely as territories at risk, and instead to recognize them as laboratories of sustainable development. In the Caribbean, this is visible in the way education systems are being reimagined, in the creativity of cultural industries, and in the strengthening of knowledge systems rooted in local heritage and scientific innovation.From the perspective of UNESCO, this recognition is particularly significant. Our mandate, anchored in education, science, culture, and communication, places people at the centre of development. In Small Island Developing States, this principle is not theoretical. It is practical and essential. Education systems must prepare young people not only for employment, but for climate uncertainty and digital transformation. Cultural policies must safeguard heritage while enabling creative economies to flourish. Science must be directly connected to decision making, particularly in areas such as ocean management, disaster risk reduction, water security, and biodiversity protection.The Caribbean has already demonstrated leadership in this regard. Many countries have placed climate education within national curricula. Others are investing in digital transformation to expand access to learning in remote communities. Across the region, cultural expression continues to serve as both identity and economic driver, reinforcing what is often described as the orange economy. These are not isolated initiatives. They form part of a broader vision in which sustainability is not an external objective, but a lived reality.Yet the International Day also highlights persistent gaps. Financing for climate adaptation remains insufficient and often difficult to access. Data systems are uneven, limiting evidence-based decision making. Brain drain continues to affect critical sectors, including education and health. These are not challenges that Small Island Developing States can address alone. They require renewed international cooperation grounded in fairness and long-term commitment.UNESCO’s role in this context is to support capacity building and foster partnerships that are not episodic but structural. Through programmes on ocean science, climate change education, heritage protection, and digital transformation, we aim to accompany Member States and Associate Members in building systems that are resilient by design. In the Caribbean, this includes support for initiatives such as biosphere reserves, heritage site development, teacher training, and regional collaboration in education leadership.The International Day also provides an opportunity to elevate youth voices. Young people in Small Island Developing States are not passive observers of climate change or globalization. They are innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, and scientists. Their creativity is one of the region’s most valuable assets. Any meaningful response to the challenges ahead must therefore include their participation not as beneficiaries, but as co-designers of solutions.Another essential dimension is cultural identity. In Small Island Developing States, culture is not a sector among others. It is the fabric of society. It connects communities to land, sea, memory, and future aspirations. Protecting cultural heritage is therefore inseparable from building resilience. When heritage is preserved, communities strengthen their sense of belonging, which in turn reinforces their capacity to adapt and innovate.The International Day should also prompt reflection on global responsibility. Small Island Developing States contribute minimally to global emissions, yet they are among the most exposed to climate impacts. This imbalance is well known, but it remains insufficiently addressed. Recognition must therefore be accompanied by action, particularly in the areas of climate finance, technology transfer, and equitable partnerships.As Regional Director of UNESCO for the Caribbean, I see daily the determination of governments, institutions, and local communities --including of course Trinidad and Tobago-- to move forward despite constraints. I also see the transformative potential of international cooperation when it is aligned with local priorities. The International Day of Small Island Developing States should strengthen this alignment. It should serve as a reminder that solidarity is not an abstract principle, but a practical necessity.The future of Small Island Developing States will depend on the ability of the international community to listen more attentively, invest more consistently, and act more collaboratively. It will also depend on the capacity of these states to continue innovating and asserting their place in global debates.This 25 April is therefore not only a moment of recognition. It is an invitation to responsibility. It calls on us to rethink development through the lens of islands, oceans, and communities that have long lived at the forefront of global change.

The fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 4) to the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Agreement) ended today in Nassau, Bahamas, with the approval of 10 key decisions for accelerating the agreement’s implementation in the region, in the lead-up to the COP 5 of Latin America and the Caribbean’s first environmental treaty.Among the more important decisions approved was the creation of working groups on pollutant release and transfer registers in the region, and on access to environmental justice. Also approved were methodological guidelines for preparing road maps for the agreement’s implementation in the States Parties, which are key tools for identifying gaps in countries, defining concrete actions and establishing priorities through transparent, collaborative processes with meaningful public participation.In addition, the delegates approved the new composition of the agreement’s Presiding Officers, which is now made up of Saint Kitts and Nevis as Chair and the Bahamas, Belize, Colombia and Panama as Vice-Chairs. In addition, they set a date for the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 5), which is April 20-22, 2028, in a place yet to be determined.In another of the resolutions adopted, the delegates agreed to extend by one year the mandate of the Committee to Support Implementation and Compliance (CSIC) of the Escazú Agreement, so as to coincide with the holding of the next two Conferences of the Parties (in 2028 and 2030, respectively).On the last day of the COP 4 of the Escazú Agreement, a session was held to discuss progress and next steps regarding the Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean and, more specifically, the preparation of a regional assessment. A roundtable discussion entitled “What can the United Nations system do to support the Escazú Agreement in the region?” also took place, with representatives of various UN agencies and programs present in the region reflecting on how the United Nations system can contribute to moving towards the Agreement’s full and effective implementation.In this regard, the delegates also approved a decision in which the Parties are invited to promote synergies and partnerships between the Escazú Agreement and other relevant multilateral forums and agreements related to environmental matters, and which entrusts the Secretariat – held by ECLAC – with strengthening cooperation and exchanges with other agencies, funds and programs of the United Nations system and secretariats of relevant multilateral environmental agreements, with a view to supporting the Parties and the bodies of the Agreement in building their capacities and making progress on the implementation of the access rights contained therein.At the closing ceremony, the Director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection of the Bahamas, Rhianna Neely-Murphy, expressed her appreciation for the depth of dialogue, the spirit of collaboration and the shared commitment demonstrated by all those present. “Over the past few days we have not only exchanged ideas but also strengthened our collective resolve to advance the principles of the Escazú Agreement. Transparency, access to information, public participation and environmental justice are not just abstract ideals. They are essential pillars for sustainable development and resilient societies, particularly for small island states like ours in the Bahamas,” she indicated.“Today we elected representatives of the public renew our commitment to our role and will continue expanding and deepening the work with the public throughout the region, supporting their voices and their meaningful commitment. We will make concrete suggestions about how this mechanism can be strengthened,” said Irene Murillo, an elected representative of the public.Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the Secretariat of the Escazú Agreement, the Director of ECLAC’s Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, Carlos de Miguel, sent a message to the region’s countries that are not yet States Parties: “We need to reach all 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, since we will get further if we move forward all together.”“It is important to continue implementing the Escazú Agreement and to move ahead. Data, information are fundamental as an element of environmental justice. The joint construction of methodologies based on territories is characteristic of Escazú. We at the Secretariat are at your disposal to keep working,” De Miguel added.Meanwhile, the representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis and incoming Chair of the agreement’s Presiding Officers, Derionne Edmeade, said that his country is actively aware of the interconnected challenges being faced. “From climate change to biodiversity loss, from environmental degradation to social vulnerability. It is precisely these realities that strengthen our resolve that the principles of access to information, participation and access to justice are not only upheld, but are meaningful for the lives of all,” he stressed.Finally, the outgoing Chair of the agreement’s Presiding Officers, Marcelo Cousillas, thanked the countries, participating organizations, representatives of the public and the Secretariat for all their collaboration in forging the agreement. He recalled that this is the last meeting for the first Presiding Officers of the Escazú Agreement, “which had an extensive, four-year term, with a great deal of work but in a very pleasant environment. Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Mexico, Saint Lucia and Uruguay were an indispensable part of this. We achieved consensuses that seemed very difficult, with a great deal of flexibility and good will. I hope the new Presiding Officers will have the same possibilities,” he expressed.The meeting held in the Bahamas was attended by ministers and government authorities from numerous countries in the region, along with representatives of regional and international organizations and members of the public. In total, 472 people registered to participate, including delegations from 17 States Parties, four signatory States, three delegations from the Agreement’s observer countries, 295 members of the public, 23 representatives of the United Nations system and intergovernmental organizations, and the members of the Committee to Support Implementation and Compliance (CSIC) and invited experts.The Escazú Agreement has been signed by 24 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and has 19 States Parties to date: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominica, Ecuador, Grenada, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.The Agreement was adopted in Escazú, Costa Rica on March 4, 2018 and entered into force on April 22, 2021. It is open to ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. .......................................................This news was first published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)