AOSIS Chair COP27 Statement: “A mission 30 years in the making,
accomplished”
Historic loss and damage response fund to assist and support developing countries is
finally established at UN climate summit
Closing of COP27, Sharm El Sheikh, November, 2022
STATEMENT FROM AOSIS CHAIR, THE HONOURABLE MINISTER MOLWYN
JOSEPH, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
AOSIS promised the world we would not leave Sharm El Sheikh without achieving
the establishment of a loss and damage response fund. A mission thirty years in the
making has been accomplished.
We have literally exhausted all of our efforts here at COP27 to bring home the
climate action commitments our vulnerable people desperately need. Our Ministers
and negotiators have endured sleepless nights and endless days in an intense series of
negotiations, determined to secure the establishment of a loss and damage response
fund, keep 1.5 alive, and advance ambition on critical mitigation and adaptation
plans. But after the pain comes the progress.
Today, the international community has restored global faith in this critical process
that is dedicated to ensuring no one is left behind. The agreements made at COP27
are a win for our entire world. We have shown those who have felt neglected that we
hear you, we see you, and we are giving you the respect and care you deserve. Now
we must solidify our ties across territories. We must work even harder to hold firm to
the 1.5C warming limit, to operationalize the loss and damage fund, and continue to
create a world that is safe, fair, and equitable for all.