Major scaling up of climate financing needed

Irfaan Ali

Highlighting that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to climate and food security challenges, President Irfaan Ali yesterday called on the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to establish a special adaptation fund for SIDS and low-lying coastal states.

The President made the call during his remarks at the FAO’s World Food Forum. Ali stated that climate pledges were made at   the United Nations Climate Change Conference last year to boost climate adaptation financing but the funds promised would be inadequate to address the issue. He noted that that without climate adaptation finance, the agricultural sectors of SIDS and low-lying coastal states will continuously be at risk because of their particular vulnerability to climate change.