Browne to Press for Climate Justice at Global Citizen Summit in Australia

Prime Minister Gaston Browne is in Perth, Western Australia, where he is expected to press international leaders for stronger action on climate change and greater financial support for vulnerable small island nations.

Browne will participate in the Global Citizen NOW: Perth Summit, scheduled for October 18–20, with a high-level discussion titled “The Cost of Complacency” on Tuesday, October 20.

According to a statement outlining his participation, the Prime Minister will focus on the human and economic consequences of climate inaction, particularly for Caribbean and Pacific countries facing threats to homes, livelihoods, infrastructure and food security.

His attendance comes as Antigua and Barbuda prepares to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from November 1–4 and international attention turns towards the COP31 climate negotiations.

Browne is expected to draw on the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017, which damaged or destroyed approximately 95 per cent of buildings in Barbuda and forced the evacuation of its population. He will also highlight Dominica’s experience with Hurricane Maria, which caused damage and losses exceeding twice that country’s annual gross domestic product.

The Prime Minister has consistently argued that small island states bear severe consequences from climate change despite contributing relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions.

A central issue in his advocacy is access to affordable financing. Browne is expected to renew his argument that national income alone does not adequately reflect a country’s ability to withstand repeated disasters, economic shocks and costly reconstruction.

He has supported the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index as a means of giving those risks greater weight when determining access to development assistance and concessional financing.

The summit will also provide an opportunity to highlight the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, the ten-year framework adopted following the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, hosted by Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024.

The framework addresses the structural vulnerabilities of small island nations and priorities including climate resilience, sustainable development, financing and economic transformation.

Browne is also expected to discuss the work of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, established through the leadership of Antigua and Barbuda and Tuvalu.

The commission sought the advisory opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on countries’ obligations to protect the marine environment from climate change. Browne’s planned message will emphasise the need to turn legal and diplomatic advances into practical support, stronger accountability and accessible climate finance.

Renewable energy will be another priority. The Prime Minister is expected to advocate partnerships that help island nations reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels while financing affordable clean energy and infrastructure capable of withstanding climate impacts.

The statement identifies high borrowing costs and the diversion of public funds towards disaster recovery as obstacles to that transition.

As incoming Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, Browne is also expected to encourage a more coordinated Commonwealth response to climate vulnerability and development financing, while strengthening cooperation between Caribbean and Pacific island states.

The Perth summit will bring together political leaders, business executives, philanthropists, environmental advocates and civil society representatives. Discussions are expected to include a proposed Perth Declaration and priorities to be taken forward to COP31.

Browne is also scheduled to hold high-level engagements with international leaders and development partners during the summit.