Excellencies, Colleagues,

● It is my pleasure to address you all in my capacity as Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States.

● Firstly, I must express gratitude to COP 29 President designate for convening this dialogue on what could be one of the most consequential catalysts for achieving the Paris Agreement – the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG).

● AOSIS welcomes the opportunity to identify what needs to be done now to deliver a robust goal befitting the Paris Agreement.

● We recognize that the NCQG is the first climate finance goal to be negotiated under the Paris Agreement. And quite frankly, it is the only climate finance goal to be negotiated in a transparent and inclusive manner.

Excellencies, Colleagues,

● While we can learn from the past, we must not be confined to it.

● What we, as small island developing States, are committed to is the upholding of obligations that were subscribed to, and their implementation in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement.

● AOSIS cannot underscore enough that the Paris Agreement is the singular bridge building framework.

● However, a divide currently exists because some would prefer to ignore those provisions for political expediency.

Excellencies, Colleagues,

● We agree that the implementation of urgent, ambitious climate action cannot be done in a vacuum. The first Global Stocktake (GST) of the Paris Agreement has set a context demonstrating the urgent actions that the new climate finance goal must support.

● This GST called for climate finance which can act as accelerant for strengthening our efforts to:

○ keep global warming below 1.5 C,
○ build adaptive capacity and foster climate resilience for our people and ecosystems, and
○ address loss and damage they continue to face

● An NCQG that is not sufficient to pursue these objectives is likely to see the Paris Agreement being put to rest. For SIDS this is not an option.

● We have defended this regime even when the regime has failed us. Because it is the only platform where international cooperation is possible, where a global response to a transversal challenge is mandated.

● We need leadership from our developed country friends to identify what they can provide beyond the USD 100 billion per year floor in recognition that this is not near enough to catalyze the support that developing countries need.

Excellencies, Colleagues,

● We have been negotiating virtually in the dark.

● It has been touted that before we can know what will be committed, we, the developing countries, must commit first.

● We must demonstrate what we are doing to respond to climate change. We must demonstrate what we have spent and how we have helped each other.

● My friends, is it fair to look at the SIDS who have been suffering the worst of the climate crisis and only provide support, if any, in mere millions, while our losses dwarf that in the billions?

● Is it not enough to see us leaving our homelands, so much so that one partner has offered land to some of our friends in the Pacific?

● Must we wear our loss and damage as a badge of disgrace, to sell our story to you for you to decide whether we are worth the obligation you undertook in the Paris Agreement?

My friends,

● We cannot be made to endure such disregard. We have earned our dignity, we ask only that you respect it.

● It is for this reason that we look to the few but essential provisions in the Paris Agreement that speak to SIDS & LDCs protection for access vis-a-vis our special circumstances. And we ask all here to let us finally implement them using specific, measurable and time bound measures in the NCQG.

● There is no advantage we seek above you, our brothers and sisters from the developing countries.

● We applaud your successes in your development. We ask only to the powers that be to give us a hand so that we too may have a chance.

● In fact, we ask them to give us the hand that was committed to us by all in 2015.

● SIDS and LDCs take nothing more than we need. And as you all know it is far less than the trillions others demand and need.

● We therefore need tailored measures in pursuit of efficient access modalities in the new climate finance goal so that SIDS and LDCs can gain the benefit of what has been made available for us.

● These measures must provide the mandated ‘handicap’ on access for SIDS and LDCs.

Excellencies, Colleagues,

● In sum, our anchors for the NCQG are:

○ first the operationalisation of the many promises and protections in the climate finance article (Article 9), especially those for SIDS and LDCs, and

○ second the provision of the much needed accelerant to fill the implementation gap in the ambitious way that I previously highlighted.

● An NCQG without these elements is a placebo goal, at best. This regime can take no more placating. For SIDS this is not an option.

● And while SIDS remain resolute in our positions, we look forward to continued engagement with others with the hope of getting us to a place of actual ambition on climate finance.