Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Walton Webson, placed the urgent needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at the forefront of regional discussions during the 22nd Meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), held December 8–9 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The meeting, held under the theme “Unlocking Caribbean Potential: Enhancing Growth and Development through South–South Cooperation,” brought together regional policymakers and experts. Ambassador Webson was joined by Claxton Duberry, First Secretary at the Antigua and Barbuda Mission in New York.

Participating in a distinguished panel on “Financing for Development,” Ambassador Webson delivered a powerful and hopeful message, warning that the Caribbean has reached “a turning point that will define the next decade of resilience and prosperity.” He urged regional leaders to embrace the transformative vision outlined in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) 2024–2034, describing the document as “a generational decision and a promise” to secure a sustainable future for vulnerable island communities.

Call for Fairer Global Financing Rules

Webson underscored that Caribbean SIDS continue to struggle within an international financial framework that fails to account for climate risk. With more than 40% of SIDS already in or approaching debt distress, he argued that the region urgently needs new financing rules and tools that support resilience instead of penalizing vulnerability.

He pointed to the growing economic pressure caused by increasingly frequent climate shocks, noting that many SIDS are forced to borrow repeatedly just to recover from disasters.

Ambassador Walton Webson takes part in 22nd meeting of the CDCC

Centre of Excellence and Innovative Tools Highlighted

Against this backdrop, Ambassador Webson emphasized the critical importance of the new SIDS Centre of Excellence—an initiative he described as a “bold step” that will use modern, data-driven tools to guide regional development.

He outlined several innovative financing mechanisms being advanced by Antigua and Barbuda, including:

• The operationalization of the Debt Sustainability Support Service (DSSS) to improve debt management for climate-vulnerable states
• Streamlined access to climate finance through simplified and more efficient processes
• Expanded debt-for-climate swaps
• The introduction of resilience bonds and domestic currency financing options
• Strengthened regional systems, such as shock-responsive social protection, new insurance products, resilience reserves, and drought/heat-response frameworks

“The Caribbean Does Not Lack Opportunity — It Lacks Risk Alignment”

Ambassador Webson reiterated that investment opportunities in the region are abundant, but the global system must better align financing with real climate risks.

“The Caribbean does not lack investment opportunity — it lacks risk alignment,” he said, calling on international financial institutions to work with SIDS on blended public, private, and concessional financing solutions.

His intervention earned strong support from delegates as he urged the region to shift from a posture of constant recovery to one of sustained resilience.