The 5-day Virtual Island Summit (VIS2024), held this month, brought together over 150 policymakers, development leaders, entrepreneurs, and NGO executives to confront social, environmental and economic issues faced by Small Island Developing States and island communities at large.
VIS, launched in 2018, is an online conference built to address the challenges faced by island communities and serve as a meeting point for islanders worldwide. Over 10,000 attendees participated in the 2024 event, with over 500 islands represented. The summit covered topics ranging from climate action and ocean conservation to sustainable tourism, financial technology, health, and education.
Speakers included COP29 CEO Elnur Soltanov, President of the Canary Islands government Fernando Clavijo, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis Dr. Terrance Drew, Chief Minister of the government of the Isle of Man Alfred Cannan MHK, Antigua and Barbuda’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Tumasie Blair, and Cayman Islands’ sustainability and climate resiliency minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks.
Speaking about the summit, COP29 Chief Mr. Soltanov highlighted the event’s importance. “It is our collective duty to ensure that the voices of island nations are not only heard but that their needs are placed at the forefront. The Virtual Island Summit serves as an excellent platform for elevating these voices,” said Soltanov. “Azerbaijan is committed to working with all stakeholders to build a more resilient and sustainable future for islanders—and for the world.”
Among other things, the 2024 Virtual Island Summit helped promote opportunities for island stakeholders to work together and increase communication between island leaders. This comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Climate Summit (COP29) later this year.
VIS2024 offered a chance for island stakeholders to further progress work that had been done during the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda in May of this year and prepare for the two important conferences before the year’s end. SIDS2024 helped set the policy goals for small islands and developing states over the course of the next decade.
In his keynote address, Clavijo further underscored the need for summits like these to address the often overlooked issues islands and small island states face. “We need forums like this one to share successful experiences and for islands together to move forward,” he noted, “Forums like this are essential, they are necessary. We must share our problems and our solutions, our successful projects because of course, as you well know, islands are never given anything for free – we have to achieve through our effort.”
The backdrop to all this is the increasing impact of the climate crisis, which has disproportionately affected small island states due to their reliance on oceans, their remoteness, and their lack of economic power in combating global warming.
Speaking about climate action in particular, Soltanov, who is also Deputy Energy Minister in his native Azerbaijan, said:
“Island nations and communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. The challenges you face, from rising sea levels to extreme weather, underscore the urgent need for global action. I encourage island representatives, including governments, business leaders, and civil society, to join us in Baku to advocate for more inclusive policies that reflect the unique vulnerabilities of your communities. With the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance and Article 6 at the heart of negotiations this November, and with a significant focus on island nations, this is a critical moment to ensure your voices are heard. We must advance solutions not only through the Loss and Damage Fund but also in adaptation and mitigation efforts to protect island communities from the impacts of climate change.”
Soltanov’s COP29 in Baku will serve as an important moment in organising climate action. Those most vulnerable to climate change, including islanders, will be adamant about transitioning away from fossil fuels and more financial support for their climate adaptation and damage mitigation efforts.
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Key island stakeholders and organisations will be present in Baku, including Island Innovation and the Caribbean Climate Justice Leaders Academy, a youth program aimed at promoting meaningful jobs and roles for Caribbean youth in the fight against climate change.
During the opening ceremony, and on behalf of St. Kitts and Nevis, Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, and Island Innovation CEO James Ellsmoor announced that the next Global Sustainable Island Summit (GSIS) will be held in St. Kitts and Nevis in May 2025. The next GSIS was also announced yesterday at the UN General Assembly by Dr Joyelle Clarke, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment.
The overarching focus of the event will be on water sustainability and energy, agricultural resilience, climate adaptation, climate health interactions and geothermal energy. GSIS will be yet another chance for islands to come together to address their shared and pressing needs regarding the impacts of global warming.
VIS2024 was just this month, but it has already inspired increased communication and collaboration between island stakeholders and governments ahead of the all-important COP29 in Baku. Priorities surrounding climate action and financing development projects were discussed and evaluated by decision makers from islands across the world, resulting in a shared momentum as they combat their specific social, financial and sustainable goals.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: St. John, Antigua and Barbuda, June 17, 2014. Cover Photo Credit: Ron Kroetz.
