Saint Vincent and the Grenadines took its story of climate resilience to the world stage this week. H.E. Kevin Hope, Ambassador (Finance, Climate and Investments) in the Office of the Prime Minister and Head of SVG’s delegation to COP31, spoke on a high-level panel hosted by the OPEC Fund for International Development.
The panel, “Climate Policy as Development Policy,” was held on Finance Day of the United Nations climate conference.
On behalf of the Government and People of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and of Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Hon. Dr Godwin Friday, Ambassador Hope thanked the OPEC Fund for standing with SVG over many years. The Fund has supported rural roads and, this year, a US$20 million policy-based loan for disaster risk management. The programme is helping to strengthen disaster preparedness, land-use standards and transparency in public finances.
“For a small island state like ours, climate policy is fiscal policy,” Ambassador Hope said. He reminded the audience that Hurricane Beryl, in July 2024, caused about US$230 million in damage, roughly 22 per cent of our GDP. More than nine in ten buildings in the Southern Grenadines were heavily damaged or destroyed. That came after the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 La Soufrière eruptions.
Ambassador Hope outlined five ways the Government is turning climate plans into real results for Vincentians:
1. Leadership at the top. The Prime Minister is also Minister of Finance, and his priorities of water security, energy security, transportation, agriculture, sustainable tourism and the blue economy are all climate priorities.
2. Finance leads. Climate projects are judged against the same debt limits as every other public investment.
3. Reforms linked to financing, so that how and where we build is safer.
4. One front door for partners. SVG is working with the Green Climate Fund on a Country Platform, so all partners support one national plan.
5. Honesty about capacity. Partners are being asked for grant support to prepare and deliver projects faster.
He also pointed to everyday benefits. Stronger roofs and building codes protect homes. Accelerating renewable energy initiatives to ease power bills. Protecting our reefs and mangroves safeguards tourism and fishing jobs.
“We cannot borrow our way to resilience,” Ambassador Hope said. “But with the right reforms and the right partners, we can build our way to it.”
COP31 runs in Antalya, Türkiye, until 20 November 2026. The SVG delegation including Edmund Jackson, Enviroment and Climate Change Consultant and, Shaffique Sam, Project Officer, Zero Hunger Trust Fund, continue meetings with sustainability and climate related agencies, development banks and partners to secure support for national priorities.
