Prime Minister Gaston Browne Calls for Urgent Climate Action to Safeguard SIDS

Prime Minister, the Honourable Gaston Browne, has arrived in Belém, Brazil to participate in the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Upon arrival, Prime Minister Browne engaged in high-level discussions with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO); President Irfaan Ali of Guyana; and senior Ministers from Venezuela, among other global and regional leaders. The discussions centered on advancing collaborative strategies for climate resilience, sustainable development, and global health security in the context of a rapidly changing climate.

Prime Minister Browne speaking at the COP30 Plenary Session, made a resounding call for honesty, courage, and urgent action to address the escalating climate crisis — particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which continue to face existential threats.

In his remarks, the Prime Minister emphasizes that for nations like Antigua and Barbuda, climate change is not a distant concern but a lived reality. “For Small Island States, the climate crisis is not past tense or future tense — it is our lived reality,” Prime Minister Browne asserts.

“Antigua and Barbuda comes to Belém with one fundamental message: 1.5°C is our lifeline. We cannot and will not surrender 1.5°C.”

The Prime Minister’s address highlights the urgent need for equitable climate finance, stronger global accountability, and accelerated emissions reduction. He further underscores that climate finance is not charity — it is climate justice, calling on major polluting nations to lead in repairing the damage their emissions have caused.