Development Finance and Small Island States

Small island states (SIDS) have been at the forefront of recent calls to reform the international development finance architecture, largely due to their vulnerability to climate change. Examples include the Bridgetown Initiative led by Barbados and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ urgent call for swifter climate action at the August 2024 Pacific Island Forum. Small states have contributed negligible carbon emissions to the global total, yet are at the forefront of experiencing the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather, ocean acidification, and rising sea levels. These impacts threaten livelihoods and economies. This conversation discusses why SIDS warrant exceptional treatment for international development finance and how this changing as climate vulnerability is increasingly understood, what SIDS use this finance for when they have access to it, and what challenges and opportunities SIDS face in accessing and using international finance going forward.