Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has issued a call for the establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund, supported by countries that have contributed to the Climate Crisis.
She made this appeal during a recent courtesy call with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at Ilaro Court.
Noting that the scale of Climatic Crisis was such that public money would not be enough, Ms. Mottley stated such a fund would assist countries impacted by disaster. “The Loss and Damage Fund would be critical,” she said.
She cautioned that many countries in the Caribbean would have the majority of their Gross Domestic Product and capacity compromised, if there was a disaster.
The Prime Minister further suggested that countries contribute money to the Loss and Damage Fund, as insurance premiums continued to increase. “That is why we called for natural disaster clauses,” she pointed out.
Sheikh bin Zayed Al Nahyan noted that it was important for countries to know who they could depend on during a crisis.
He also called for better to be done in capturing carbon emissions, and suggested that more attention must be placed on alternative energy sources such as renewable energy.
The Prime Minister and the UAE Foreign Affairs Minister also discussed the ongoing unrest in Haiti and CARICOM’s response, unlocking air routes, and the establishment of a “fast ferry” among eastern and southern CARICOM Member States.
Also present during the meeting were Barbados’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Senior Minister, Kerrie Symmonds; Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins; Minister of State in Foreign Trade and Business Development, Sandra Husbands; and Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Alies Jordan.