Basseterre / Charlestown, Saint Kitts and Nevis (Virtual) — Key national institutions for climate action, disaster management, and environmental resilience convened a high-level virtual meeting to advance Saint Kitts and Nevis’ approach to accessing the UNFCCC Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
Led by the Climate Action Unit, the meeting brought together representatives from Disaster Management, Climate Analytics, planning and technical agencies, and sector partners from both Saint Kitts and Nevis, reflecting a unified federal approach to addressing climate change impacts.
The session complements the ongoing development of its National Loss and Damage Strategy, prepared under the NDC Partnership/PAF Project with technical support from Climate Analytics. The strategy will guide Saint Kitts and Nevis in defining national priorities for addressing economic and non-economic losses from climate change, including extreme weather events and slow-onset processes.
Purpose of the Meeting
The primary objective of the meeting was to:
- Provide an overview of the Loss and Damage Fund, established under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement following COP27 decisions.
- Clarify eligibility, funding modalities, and submission timelines for national proposals.
- Begin identifying priority national project concepts for submission under the Fund, which allows Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to request between US$5 million and US$20 million for nationally determined interventions.
Participants emphasized that the Fund is a landmark opportunity for Saint Kitts and Nevis to address long-standing climate-related impacts on communities, livelihoods, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
Discussions focused on climate-related losses already affecting the Federation, including:
- Coastal erosion and coastal infrastructure damage, particularly in vulnerable communities and fishing areas
- Recurrent damage to marine and fisheries infrastructure, affecting livelihoods and local economies
- Ghaut (watercourse) erosion, flooding, and stabilization needs in high-risk communities, including in-to-sea watershed degradation and runoff management
- Impacts on agriculture, freshwater systems, and ecosystems
- Non-economic losses, such as ecosystem degradation, sedimentation, and impacts on heritage and community spaces
Technical participants highlighted the need to ensure that any project submitted:
- Delivers visible, community-level benefits
- Is feasible within the funding envelope
- Can remain effective even if partially funded
- Avoids duplication with existing climate and adaptation projects
Federal and Technical Approach
Following Fund guidance, participants agreed that the project submission must reflect a federal approach, addressing needs in both Saint Kitts and Nevis within a single integrated proposal.
To support evidence-based decision-making, the meeting concluded with agreement on these next steps: including vulnerable coastal zones and high-risk gut systems
- Review of existing studies, proposals, and engineering concepts previously developed
- Engagement of technical experts and engineers to assess structural and stabilization options
- Consolidation of priority interventions into a coherent national project portfolio
These activities will directly inform the country’s Loss and Damage Strategy and funding proposal before the international submission deadline.
National Commitment
Officials underscored that Saint Kitts and Nevis, as a Small Island Developing State on the frontlines of climate change, is committed to using this opportunity to strengthen long-term resilience and address historical and ongoing climate impacts.
The Climate Action Unit within the Ministry of Environment, Climate Action et al will continue coordinating with national stakeholders to refine the project concept and advance the country’s Loss and Damage Strategy.