By King’s Correspondents
APIA, SAMOA – Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland has revealed that climate change, geopolitical global tensions, increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters and rising public debt remain key challenges affecting small states.
This she revealed in her report on Saturday to the Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting of Small States, which was co-chaired by Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa and Eswatini’s Economic Planning and Development Minister Dr. Thambo Gina.
The meeting brought together ministers from over 45 Commonwealth member countries to address key challenges and opportunities related to economic resilience, development finance, climate action, and building global partnerships.
The Secretary-General emphasised the Commonwealth’s ongoing commitment to supporting small states through targeted technical assistance, global advocacy, and practical tools to foster resilience and sustainable development.
She said these were some of the complex financing issues that need to be navigated as a collective family of the Commonwealth nations in next year’s International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Spain.
Outgoing co-chairs of the Republic of Rwanda and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines concurred with the SG’s report when reflecting on the challenges and accomplishments since 2022.
They also emphasised that small states continue to suffer from the impact of the disruptions from COVID-19 and the increasing frequency of natural disasters across all Commonwealth small states.
The outgoing co-chairs highlighted some innovative interventions in dealing with the challenges, which included debt relief efforts aimed at providing fiscal space and redirecting resources towards climate-resilient investments and de-risking investments.
They provided an overview of the initiatives developed by the Secretariat to support small states and highlighted the establishment of institutional structures aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Commonwealth-UN advocacy strategy.
They urged countries to commit to the implementation of the advocacy strategy and support the development of the Programme of Action.
The ministers also addressed the continuing impact of climate change, with a focus on disaster risk finance and innovative solutions for achieving climate resilience (including expansion of sovereign disaster risk insurance).
Looking ahead to next month’s COP29, they called for fast-tracked operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund and stressed the importance of scaling up global efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and natural disasters on small and vulnerable states. The ministers also called on the international community to take urgent action on climate change mitigation and adaptation, with a renewed focus on the adherence to the global quantified climate goals integrated with their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) targets and the provision of additional concessional resources to small states that are at the forefront of climate change and disaster risk impacts.
They also highlighted the need to account for and tackle the domino effects of climate change and natural disasters on food security, the health of oceans and marine resources, and the impact on people’s health, culture, and heritage.
The ministers discussed innovative approaches to address the debt distress faced by small states, including the introduction of Climate Resilient Debt Clauses in public debt agreements.
They expressed their strongest support for the ongoing work of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Working Group, particularly the related reform of the global financial architecture to address the contextually evolving challenges facing small states.
The ministers underscored the need for a system that is more responsive to both current and future global crises, regardless of the level of income of all small states.
They called for the removal of barriers with access to low-cost and/or concessional finance for the long-term investments given the high cost of recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction from natural disasters.
The ministers noted that their Advocacy Strategy would be updated to keep it relevant and reflective of emerging global developments.
They then endorsed the Commonwealth Programme of Action (PoA) for Small States for 2024-2026, which is an operational tool to accelerate the implementation of the advocacy strategy.
They see the development of the PoA to serve as a roadmap to accelerate progress on key development challenges, with a strong focus on achieving the SDGs and addressing emerging global issues such as climate resilience, debt sustainability, and equitable access to development finance.
The co-chairs highlighted the key takeaways of the meeting and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that the voices of small states are heard and heeded at all relevant international platforms.
The Commonwealth Secretary General announced special support by Azerbaijan for small states for participation in COP29.
The ministers agreed that their next meeting would be at CHOGM 2026, co-chaired by the CHOGM host and the Government of the Maldives.
THE COMMONWEALTH IN BRIEF
The 56 Commonwealth member countries are diverse: they are among the world’s biggest, smallest, richest, and poorest countries. Together, they work to pursue common goals and uphold shared values.
Small states in particular are vulnerable to issues such as climate change and developmental challenges.
All Commonwealth members have an equal say, regardless of size or wealth.
Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies and priorities, and every two years, they meet at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
During these meetings, decisions are made unanimously, ensuring that even the smallest states have a voice in shaping Commonwealth policies. The biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting serves as a platform for resolving critical membership issues, including any that might lead to losing a member.
