This year, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June, leaders jointly called for scaled up action and support around the issue of loss and damage. This has been a critical issue for many vulnerable countries who require financing to address the negative impacts they have already suffered due to climate change.

It was included for the first time on the official agenda of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, leading to a historic step forward to set up a global Loss and Damage Fund.

The Secretary-General emphasised: “It was solidarity that delivered the historic outcomes on Loss and Damage at COP27, just a few weeks ago.”

Towards a Smart Commonwealth

She added that a digitalised and “smart” approach to building resilience was also crucial to overcoming challenges, outlining flagship programmes such as the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub, the Commonwealth Blue Charter, the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda on Trade and Investment, which are currently being rolled out to support member countries.

In the margins of the OACPS summit, the Secretary-General also met with leaders to discuss shared interests and opportunities for partnerships. This included meetings with President João Manuel Lourenço of Angola, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, President Wavel Ramkalawan of Seychelles, Prime Minister Philip Davis of The Bahamas, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa of Samoa and other dignitaries.