A coalition aimed at uniting island territories in their fight against the climate crisis has been announced at the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3). The Sub-National Island Jurisdiction Climate Coalition (SNIJCC) will serve as an advocacy platform for island communities that lack a sovereign voice in international climate policy [1].
The Coalition, led by the Cabinet of the Special Envoy for Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius together with the Government of Curaçao and the sustainability consultancy Island Innovation is focused on increasing climate advocacy, financial access, and cooperation among SNIJs.
Why do Sub-National Island Jurisdictions (SNIJ) need a coalition?
SNIJs are territories and countries that enjoy varying levels of autonomy, but are attached to a larger country. The European Union, for example, has several overseas territories including Curaçao (Netherlands), Greenland (Denmark), the Canary Islands (Spain), the Azores (Portugal), and New Caledonia (France). Other SNIJs include Guam (USA), Zanzibar (Tanzania), and Lakshadweep (India).
There are over 115 identified and recorded SNIJs, and while their constitutional relationship with their main authority varies, their status means they must rely on support from that authority for project funding [1-3]. Oftentimes however, there is limited representation of these territories within metropolitan legal and political structures, and these jurisdictions cannot be signatories to international treaties like the Paris Agreement. This is despite these communities being at the forefront of the climate crisis and having different adaptation and development challenges and solutions [1-3].
As Professor Stefano Moncada, Director of the Islands and Small States Institute at University of Malta, explains, communities living in SNIJs find themselves in a grey area when it comes to accessing climate funding opportunities: “Often the respective mainland or higher governing administrative territories, or the international financial institutions, do not act on time, or support the existing good capital of expertise that is available on the islands. What comes, or is left, available is not sufficient, nor context specific for the needs of many SNIJs [2].”
On top of this, these islands’ links to another economy disqualifies them from most international financing pathways; many SNIJs are therefore reliant on funding from their central constitutional authority [3]. Yet, as Vannesa Toré, Director of Foreign Economic Cooperation at the Government of Curaçao, pointed out during UNOC3, “Climate change does not discriminate against constitutional status. Our small structures, our small economies, often we survive generating just enough to re-invest into keeping the island afloat, but to invest in the energy transition, invest in building resilience, these investments are very costly and we do not have access to those types of programmes and we do not have access to those types of funding or financing [1]. ”
The SNIJ Climate Coalition
In her address, Vanessa Toré emphasised that creating a formal legal understanding of SNIJs and their constitutional situation is a crucial first step towards integrating them within international structures and frameworks. She notes that while the process to legal recognition will be long, it provides an opportunity for leaders and stakeholders from these territories to join the SNIJCC, which was launched on 30 May at the 1st Forum on Access to Climate Finance for SNIJs, ahead of UNOC3 [1,4,5].
Along with the formation of the Coalition, a framework outlining the main goals was released – The Nevis Communiqué. It sets out key objectives for increased collaboration between SNIJs and seeks to establish a legal definition that can help these territories secure greater access to international financing and a seat at the policymaking table. The Coalition is expected to meet in Brazil during COP30 to further develop action plans [5].
