Prime Minister Gaston Browne Arrives in Belém, Brazil for COP30 — Calls for Urgent Climate Action to Safeguard Small Island Developing States
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 is accompanied by a delegation that includes Ambassador for Climate Change, H.E. Ruleta Camacho-Thomas; Director of the Department of Environment, Diann Black-Layne; Climate Assessment and Information Officer, Arry Simon; Crown Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers, Zachary Phillips; Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and Green Climate Fund Operational Focal Point, Gita Gardner and Public Relations Officer, J’noure Smith-Kellman.
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.
Browne’s intervention follows a week of devastating climate events across the region, including Hurricane Melissa’s destruction in Jamaica, underscoring the real-time impacts of global warming on vulnerable nations. He reaffirmed Antigua and Barbuda’s commitment to building resilience, advancing adaptation, and championing the principles of Loss and Damage as a critical mechanism for recovery and justice. “We must stand as one and fight unrelentingly to stop this ecocide — to restore balance, to build economies that serve humanity, not just profits,” the Prime Minister stated.
“This COP — the COP of Truth — must deliver more than promises. The world has the knowledge, technology, and financial resources to act. What we need now is the political and moral will to match the urgency of this moment.”
Prime Minister Browne also commended Brazil for hosting COP30 in the heart of the Amazon — “the lungs of the Earth” — and for launching the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, describing it as “a bold symbol of global solidarity.”
Antigua and Barbuda, he said, stands ready to partner in global efforts to protect the planet “not as a victim, but as a voice of resilience and hope.”
