GO Climate Finance Forum – Day 3 : Focus on Accessing Climate Finance

 The third day of the forum was dedicated to exploring strategies, including interactive exercises to access climate finance opportunities in the OCTs. It began with an in-depth session on the lessons learned from climate funds, featuring concise presentations from international and regional organizations, followed by a World Café to extend the discussions. In the afternoon, participants engaged in an interactive game focused on advancing financial resilience in the OCTs.

Robert Moons, Moons Consulting Engineers, has participated in almost all collaboration initiatives between the OCTs, which have been cooperating for 10 years through the OCTA. He shared that today there are studies, workshops, and joint statements, most of which are focused on the energy transition. For him, to access climate finance, you need to demonstrate a commitment to decarbonization. Once you're in the climate finance system, you can then obtain more funds for adaptation.

Crispin d'Auvergne, Programme Director for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission; Jason Cotton, Lead Economist, Caribbean Development Bank; Alex Sanchiz, Climate Finance Key Expert, Technical Assistance-Euroclima Secretariat, European Union Delegation in Barbados; Nnyeka Prescod, Director of the Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN); Andrew Stanger, Senior Integrated Marine Manager, Global Marine, Marine Management Organisation; Jane Hawkridge, Team Leader, International Implementation at Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC); Benjamin Coudert, Economist, Three Oceans Department, French Development Agency (AFD); and Edita Dranseikaite, Policy Officer, Directorate General Energy, European Commission, also shared their experiences.

Session 7 bis: World Café

Participants then took part in a World Café, a rich discussion space offering perspectives on accessing climate finance for the OCTs and other concerned territories. These exchanges highlighted innovative approaches and common challenges for accessing climate finance, emphasizing the importance of regional and international collaboration.
Here are the key points discussed by the seven groups formed:

• A regional programmatic approach was proposed, highlighting similar challenges between countries, but also specific characteristics of each territory. The need for national ownership to meet the requirements of multilateral donors and challenges related to data collection were raised.
• Participants emphasized the importance of good communication between key agencies (finance, environment, etc.).
• The need for further research to clarify the requirements of the Paris Agreement was mentioned.
• The Blue Belt program, considered a success, was presented as a model for other funding. Further work is needed to identify gaps, technical expertise, and funding mechanisms for the program.

Session 8: Advancing financial resilience in OCTs – Interactive game

In the afternoon of Day 3, participants enjoyed a set of serious games on climate-resilient and responsive public management. A video introduced the key concepts and main pillars of climate-resilient and responsive public financial management. Participants then split into subgroups for the "Hurricane Hurry Disaster Risk Financing & Insurance game."