Island States rally regional climate action ahead of COP31

The Indian Ocean Islands Regional Climate Dialogue, a key regional event focused on strengthening the preparedness of Island States for COP31 and future climate negotiations, while promoting regional collaboration and collective advocacy on shared climate priorities, opened this morning at the Caudan Arts Centre in Port Louis.

Held over two days under the theme ‘Building Collective Advocacy and Strengthening Cooperation with Other Island Regions’, the Dialogue brings together delegates from the Indian Ocean Islands, including Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and Réunion Island, as well as representatives of the African Island States Climate Commission; the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme; the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre; the African Group of Negotiators; and the Alliance of Small Island States.

Participants also include representatives of youth organisations, civil society, the private sector, academia and research institutions, as well as regional and multilateral partners working with Island States.

The Junior Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mrs Eileen Karen Lee Chin Foo Kune-Bacha; the UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Lisa Simrique Singh; the Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), Dr Ibrahim Norbert Richard; the Acting High Commissioner of Australia in Mauritius, Ms Kate Varian; the Director of the Agence Française de Développement for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Audrey Nirrengarten; and other personalities were present at the opening ceremony.

In her address, the Junior Minister stressed the need for more accessible and tailored climate finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), noting that lengthy approval processes, limited readiness support and inadequate project-preparation capacity remain barriers to funding.

Mrs Foo Kune-Bacha moreover highlighted Mauritius’ nationwide consultations ahead of COP31 to identify sectoral challenges and priority actions, as well as the country’s third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC3), a national investment and implementation framework to mobilise finance, technology and capacity.

The Junior Minister also emphasised the importance of regional cooperation in sharing expertise and resources, and expressed appreciation to Australia and the United Nations for their support to Mauritius in its COP31 preparations.

As for Ms Singh, she described climate change as an existential challenge for SIDS, with far-reaching impacts on agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and economic development. In this context, she pointed to access to climate finance as a critical barrier and reiterated the UN’s support for negotiations that translate global commitments into concrete action, accelerate adaptation, expand access to finance and advance climate justice for vulnerable Island States.

The IOC’s SG called for stronger collective action by SIDS to ensure that the region’s climate concerns remain firmly on the global agenda and to mobilise the international resources needed to strengthen resilience. In this regard, he noted the importance of engaging youth as key actors in shaping the future.

For her part, Mrs Varian expressed Australia’s continued support for SIDS in ensuring that their priorities are reflected in the COP process. She also highlighted Australia’s cooperation with island countries through training, capacity building and government-to-government collaboration to support climate resilience.

Ms Nirrengarten stressed the importance of the Dialogue in mobilising international expertise and support, strengthening regional cooperation and advancing collective advocacy on shared climate priorities. She further noted the disproportionate vulnerability of SIDS despite their limited contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions and reiterated AFD’s support for Island States.

28 September 2026

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Topics: Climate Change