BRUSSELS – Special Envoy for the BES-islands, Edison Rijna, has emphasized the critical need for climate finance access during the opening of the Climate Finance Forum (CFF) in Brussels. 

Rijna, representing the BES islands, stressed the vulnerability of small, remote islands like Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba to the impacts of climate change, and called for united efforts to secure new funding pathways.

The 5-day event, organized by the Green Overseas (GO) Programme, brings together over 130 stakeholders, including representatives from the EU, UK, and their Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), to explore new funding mechanisms for resilience-building projects. Rijna’s speech underscored the importance of collective action in finding solutions, saying, “This moment is critical. We must work together to overcome obstacles and secure the breakthroughs that our communities urgently need.”

Climate finance

The CFF aims to unlock access to climate finance for OCTs, which are on the frontlines of climate change but often face barriers in accessing international funding programs.