GO NEWSLETTER #2 From COP30 to peer-to-peer exchanges

An intense quarter for the Green Overseas program, between international climate discussions, exchanges between island territories and concrete actions on the ground - with, in parallel, the announcement of the program's final workshop and closing event.
The Green Overseas program organized and participated in a series of exchanges at the COP30 in Belém, Brazil, with on-site support provided by Island Innovation via the Island Voices @COP30 initiative.
GO representatives contributed to seven side events (face-to-face), online sessions and bilateral exchanges, including discussions hosted within the CARICOM, IOM, Climate Mobility and Francophonie pavilions, as well as dedicated webinars and a high-level face-to-face meeting. These exchanges brought together island governments, international organizations, youth representatives and technical experts around key current themes: climate finance, climate mobility, youth engagement and locally anchored resilience solutions for Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs).
A strong message emerged: while innovative solutions tailored to local realities are already emerging in the OCTs, access to climate finance remains essential to make them a reality. In this context, support from the Green Overseas program - as well as future EU-led initiatives - plays a key role in helping OCTs move from ambition to implementation.

The UNFCCC COP30 thus offered a platform for sharing concrete island experiences and reinforcing the importance of adapted financial mechanisms, upstream project preparation and peer-to-peer cooperation.
➡️ More information (including a BBC focus!): https://www.green-overseas.org/fr/infos-et-medias/green-overseas-programme-cop30-innovation-and-collaboration-build-climate-resilient
Two workshops, one common goal: accelerating the islands' energy transition
Wallis & Futuna: shared constraints, shared learning
The regional workshop held in Wallis-et-Futuna brought together representatives from island territories and experts for four days of exchanges on energy transition in an island context.

The discussions focused both on common constraints and on concrete avenues: geographical isolation, fuel dependency, aging infrastructures, but also projects already underway, emerging technologies and planning tools tested in several territories.

Through inter-island group work, participants compared experiences, shared lessons learned from the field and explored how to gradually increase the share of renewable energies, while taking into account technical, social and governance constraints.

A clear observation emerged: each territory is different, but the challenges are widely shared - and exchanges between peers remain essential to move forward.
As Jan Cornillie (Energy Transition expert mobilized by GO) pointed out in his closing remarks:
"This workshop was not just a technical break, but a real space for exchange - and what it sets in motion has only just begun."
➡️ More détails: https://www.green-overseas.org/fr/infos-et-medias/retour-sur-latelier-regional-sur-la-transition-energetique-wallis-et-futuna
Sint Eustatius: learning by doing, not by theory
Following the exchanges in the Pacific, the OCTs continued their momentum with a session organized several thousand kilometers away, in the Caribbean.

The Green Overseas Energy Transition (GO ETC) community workshop, held in Sint Eustatius, brought together 36 representatives from 13 OCTs for four days of presentations, exchanges and field visits devoted to large-scale renewable energy integration and island power grid issues.
Hosted in a territory already well advanced in its electric transition,the workshop placed field experience at the heart of discussions. From the Statia photovoltaic-battery hybrid plant to concrete examples presented by Bermuda, Aruba, Saba, St Helena and other territories, participants explored realistic feedback, taking into account local specificities.
The field visit also provided an opportunity to discover a Green Overseas Facility-supported project on the island: an innovative agrovoltaic initiative, combining renewable energy production and sustainable agriculture.
A common message emerged: there is no single solution, but islands can move forward faster and with greater confidence by learning directly from the successes - and obstacles - encountered by others.
French Polynesia: strengthening the resilience of food systems in island territories
After two workshops dedicated to energy transition, the Green Overseas program brought together the Climate Resilience Community in French Polynesia.

For five days, 15 island territories from the Pacific, the Caribbean and the South Atlantic came together to discuss the theme: Building resilient food systems in the face of climate change.
Through thematic sessions and dynamic panels, participants shared challenges, solutions and concrete experiences - from governance and planning tools to nature-based solutions and traditional practices, but also on downstream segments of food systems: processing, marketing and circular economy approaches.
Gathering 54 participants, these exchanges were enriched by field visits to Tahiti and Moorea, allowing to discover organic farms, school catering initiatives, food processing projects, as well as marine and aquaculture activities.

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A strong message emerged: despite heavy dependence on imports and transport, island territories have powerful and recognized local assets. Strengthening food value chains and capitalizing on local knowledge are essential levers for more sustainable and resilient systems.

The Green Overseas program warmly thanks each OCT that hosted these workshops. The program and all participants are grateful for their welcome and support.
Next step in 2026: Barbados - Water resilience in island territories
The Green Overseas program will organize the next face-to-face workshop of the Climate Resilience Community from February 9 to 13, 2026 in Barbados, around the resilient management of water resources in the face of climate change.

Gathering representatives from Overseas Countries and Territories, this workshop will combine technical sessions, peer exchanges and field visits, to explore key issues such as water scarcity, flooding, wastewater reuse and climate adaptation in island contexts.
Closing event Green Overseas - Building the sequel
As the GO program ends in 2027, the Green Overseas program will organize a four-day closing and capitalization event in Paris during the last week of October 2026, bringing together OCT representatives, partners and young people.
This high point will provide an opportunity to highlight achievements carried out in partnership with the OCT, to share concrete experiences and open discussion on the future of cooperation with the OCT beyond the Green Overseas program. It will also provide a key opportunity to mobilize and align climate finance efforts, following on from the GO Climate Finance Forum held two years earlier (October 2024 in Brussels), to ensure that innovative financing mechanisms and partnerships are fully mobilized in the service of sustainable development and OCT resilience.

More than a closing event, this will be a collective milestone to recognize the progress made, strengthen OCT community spirit and look to the future.

📌 More information to come. In the meantime, if this period doesn't suit your schedule, don't hesitate to let us know:
https://platform.green-overseas.org/tools/forum/topic/6943d304b8a3eb25b1162ba0