As COP30 ramps up, CARICOM has reaffirmed its commitment to climate leadership by designating new Ministerial Leads to represent the region’s interests on the global stage. These appointments come amid the severe impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica and Haiti and intensifying climate threats to Caribbean small island and low-lying coastal states, which face disproportionate impacts despite minimal contributions to global emissions. The Ministerial Leads will work in close alignment with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), which will host the CARICOM Pavilion in Belém, Brazil. This space will serve as a hub for regional coordination meetings, showcasing Caribbean innovation in climate resilience, while amplifying the voices of vulnerable communities most affected by climate change.
This coordinated approach reflects CARICOM’s strategic vision for COP30, grounded in the recently adopted CARICOM Declaration on the Tenth Anniversary of the Paris Agreement. This declaration underscores the legal and scientific imperative to limit global warming to 1.5°C and calls for urgent international support to meet adaptation and mitigation goals. Through the CARICOM Pavilion and a series of side events, the Ministerial Leads will engage global stakeholders, advocate for climate finance, and highlight the region’s progress and challenges. This unified front signals CARICOM’s resolve to shape global climate policy with Caribbean realities at its core.
The Leads are:
Loss and Damage | Dr. the Hon. Shantal Munro-Knight, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Barbados
Climate Finance | Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Belize
Global Stocktake | Hon. Kerryne James, Minister of Climate Resilience, Environment and Renewable Energy, Grenada
Adaptation | Hon. Cozier Frederick, Minister of the Environment, Rural Modernisation and Kalinago Upliftment, Dominica
Adaptation | Hon. Matthew Samuda, Minister of Water and the Environment, Jamaica
Just Transition | Sen. the Hon. Dr Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment, St Kitts and Nevis
The CARICOM Climate Change Envoy, Dr James Fletcher; Assistant Secretary-General (ag) Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, Dr Wendell Samuel; and Amrikha Singh, Programme Manager for Sustainable Development, CARICOM Secretariat will be supporting the efforts in Belem.
