STATEMENT

AOSIS Letter to COP30 Presidency

June 14, 2025 Download PDF

Topic: Climate

14th June 2025
André Aranha Corrêa do Lago
COP 30 President Designate

Dear Excellency,

I have the honour to communicate this letter to you on behalf of the 39 Members of the Alliance
of Small Island States (AOSIS).

AOSIS sincerely appreciates your recent letters to delegates because they send a clear message
that it is urgent for COP to refocus priorities on accelerated climate action with concrete results for
people on the ground.

AOSIS agrees that COP 30 is the ground zero of the climate crisis. With only five years left in this
critical decade, now is the moment to collectively assert our unwavering commitment to do what
it takes to accomplish Mission 1.5 and to protect all our people, especially the most vulnerable.
As we prepare for COP30, it is imperative that the voices of small island developing states are not
only present, but central in shaping the decisions that will determine our futures. We count on your
leadership to ensure that our perspectives, priorities, and lived realities are reflected throughout
the process, from preparatory dialogues to the final outcomes in Belém.

Priorities

In this vein, AOSIS wishes to draw to your attention the latest findings from climate science which
indicate that (i) there is a significant chance of average warming reaching and exceeding 1.5°C
over the next 5 or 6 years; and (ii) even warming of 1.5°C is not a safe target limit especially for
ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica with attendant disastrous implications for sea level rise.
These findings make it clear that climate change impacts are accelerating faster than previously
understood; signalling a grave consequence for small island developing states and implicating the
global community in a wanton breach of its obligations to us.

Even now, small island developing states are paying to cope with this breach with little support
from the international community. In fact, 39 SIDS altogether only received 1.5 billion in climate
finance between 2016 and 2020. In contrast, between 2010-2019 SIDS suffered $100 billion in
losses from climate impacts; and between 2016 and 2020, SIDS paid in debt service 18 times more
than what they received as climate finance.

These conclusions are very sobering, but they provide us with the opportunity to have clarity on
how we define our priorities for this year. Consequently, AOSIS would like to draw your attention
to the following asks:

1. Climate science is the foundation of our work. But science is under attack. We ask that
Brazil as incoming Presidency reflect the latest findings in your approach to COP 30
and the sense of urgency you bring to the organization of the discussions.

2. Protection of the vulnerable is non-negotiable. Unless COP 30 signals a serious course
correction, then the message to the vulnerable is clear: the world does not care! As
incoming President we expect you to take this into account in the arrangements for
COP 30 and to provide the space for discussions and decision making, such as a cover
decision, that will allow us to have a chance at correcting the course. The IPCC AR6
report reaffirmed that we would need to halve global emissions by 2030 and reduce to net
zero by mid-century in order to have a fighting chance at limiting warming to 1.5°C. We
are at the halfway point to this critical 2030 deadline – if NDCs this year come up short on
1.5°C we are morally and ethically obliged to take actions this year to address the gaps.

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AOSIS will not join in a consensus at COP 30 that makes us co-signatories to our own
destruction.

3. Efforts to close the implementation gap must be accelerated. The first step in closing
the gap and limiting the potential for overshooting 1.5°C is in ramping up the
implementation of existing commitments. We therefore welcome your efforts to strengthen
the focus on implementation at this COP and in that sense to identify the UAE GST
Dialogue as a priority area for an early harvest at COP 30. You have the support of the
group in this effort and AOSIS would call for your support to advance the case of SIDS for
additional support and capacity building for the delivery of NDCs, NAPs, and BTRs which
are all crucial to our efforts.

4. Adaptation and resilience building must also be accelerated. In the face of the
unprecedented pace and scale of climate impacts, adaptation options for SIDS are not only
more expensive, they are also increasingly limited. As we approach a 1.5°C overshoot,
adaptation options become more expensive and also begin to disappear as hard limits to
adaptation are reached. We must be in a position to accelerate our efforts to adapt and to
build resilience. The operationalisation of the GGA framework, including indicators, will
enable efforts to adapt and build resilience, but only if those efforts are adequately
supported. Here we call for a renewed commitment to adaptation finance and support
for developing countries, especially SIDS. The current focus on private finance for
adaptation is insufficient. There must be a stronger political imperative on adaptation at
COP 30 in support of increasing finance and other support for adaptation.

5. The bridge from ambition to action is finance. Not only must it be available at the scale
and speed required, it must also be accessible. SIDS enhanced access to scaled-up,
concessional, and grant finance must be a key part of the Presidency’s roadmap to
implementation. We ask for your support in making good on the NCQG provisions that
address enhanced access features for SIDS – make it simple, make it affordable, make it
adequate, and make it fast. And importantly, make it accountable.

6. Our clearer understanding of the increased risks and dangers of warming at 1.5°C
should also translate into more action on loss and damage. We now expect to experience
more loss and damage in even shorter timeframes than previously assumed. This means
that loss and damage responses and finance must remain a high priority for our discussions.
We feel that it has fallen off of the Presidency’s radar for continued urgent action, in
particular for appeals for more funding for the FRLD.

The process

Considering the foregoing, AOSIS takes note of the arrangements made by your office for various
consultative fora to help to advance the large agenda for COP 30. We would note that small island
developing states are, to date, grossly underrepresented throughout these arrangements (with the
exception of Fiji’s participation in the Circle of Presidencies). From the perspective of AOSIS this
is unsatisfactory, inequitable, and inadequate for ensuring that our very legitimate and urgent
concerns are well understood and fully taken into account.

Logistical arrangements for COP 30

AOSIS is deeply concerned about the logistical arrangements for COP30 in Belém. While we
recognize the significant efforts involved in hosting the COP and welcome the incoming
Presidency’s work to expand accommodation options, including through alternatives such as cruise
ships and private rentals, the current situation remains troubling. Belém has far fewer hotel rooms
than any recent COP host city, and prices are well above the UN DSA rates. This raises serious
concerns about affordability and equitable participation. Many SIDS delegations are finding it
impossible to secure appropriate lodging, and the continued delay in launching the accommodation
portal has only deepened this uncertainty. As of now, many AOSIS delegations do not know if they
will be able to attend COP30. We also stress the importance of ensuring that all logistical
arrangements, including accommodation, venue access, access to healthcare, and local transport,
are fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Without urgent action to address these issues, the
inclusivity and legitimacy of COP30 are at risk.

We are also concerned about the scheduling of the Leaders’ Summit on 7 and 8 November, which
directly overlaps with the traditional AOSIS preparatory days that are essential for our
coordination. As a coalition that does not meet intersessionally, these meetings at the start of COP
are critical to ensuring our meaningful and coherent engagement across the negotiations. They also
enable us to contribute efficiently and constructively to the process. The overlap is particularly
problematic because many SIDS Heads of Government are expected to attend the Summit and will
require key members of their national delegations to accompany them. This further limits the
availability of negotiators for coordination. We understand that the Secretariat has emphasized to
the COP30 Presidency the importance of safeguarding pre-sessional coordination time for AOSIS
and other negotiating groups. We echo this message and urge that the Leaders’ Segment be
scheduled in a way that does not compromise these vital preparatory processes.

AOSIS reiterates our commitment to working collaboratively with you, and constructively with
all Parties in the process toward a smooth adoption of the Agenda and to deliver an ambitious and
inclusive outcome at COP30. However, such an outcome would only be possible if the concerns
we have raised- the scientific imperative for urgent ambition in line with 1.5°C, meaningful
inclusion in all consultative and outcome-shaping mechanisms and meetings led by the incoming
Presidency, the importance of affordable, accessible, and safe accommodation and logistics, and
SIDS’ ability to effectively coordinate- are addressed.

We therefore ask: How will the COP30 Presidency guarantee not only the active and effective
participation of AOSIS in all key processes and decision-making spaces in the lead-up to and
during COP30, but also that our concerns are meaningfully taken into account in shaping the
outcomes of this critical COP?

We look forward to your leadership in fostering an open, party-driven, inclusive process that is
guided by science, effective, and responsive to voices and needs of the most vulnerable. We ask
that you respond to the concerns raised in this letter in writing and as a matter of priority.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.

HE Ambassador Ilana V Seid
Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations
Chair of Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)

Sub Topic:

Forum: UNFCCC

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