The Right Honourable Gaston A. Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, has arrived in Antalya, Türkiye, to participate in the High-Level Leaders’ Segment of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), where he will join world leaders in advancing urgent global climate priorities and advocating for stronger international action to protect climate-vulnerable nations.

 

Prime Minister Browne was accorded an official welcome upon his arrival, with senior Turkish government representatives, including Deputy Ministers, the Governor of Antalya and the Garrison Commander, in attendance. The welcoming ceremony featured a military guard of honour and the presentation of flowers by two children, symbolising the warmth and hospitality extended to the Antiguan and Barbudan leader.

 

Also welcoming the Prime Minister was Antigua and Barbuda’s Climate Ambassador and Acting Director of the Department of Environment, H.E. Ruleta Camacho Thomas, who is leading the country’s technical delegation in the ongoing climate negotiations.

 

Prime Minister Browne’s participation in COP31 underscores Antigua and Barbuda’s continued leadership in championing the interests of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), particularly in securing affordable and accessible climate financing, strengthening resilience and ensuring that international climate commitments translate into meaningful action.

During the high-level engagements, the Prime Minister is expected to renew his call for developed nations and international financial institutions to deliver on their climate financing commitments and provide practical support to countries facing the devastating consequences of climate change.

 

For Antigua and Barbuda and other SIDS, access to adequate financing remains critical to protecting vulnerable communities, strengthening infrastructure, safeguarding livelihoods and building economies capable of withstanding increasingly severe climate-related disasters.

 

The Prime Minister’s participation follows Antigua and Barbuda’s hosting of the recently concluded Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St. John’s, where climate resilience, sustainable development, ocean conservation and financing for vulnerable states featured prominently in discussions among Commonwealth leaders.

 

At COP31, Prime Minister Browne is expected to build on the momentum generated during CHOGM, reinforcing the urgent need for stronger global partnerships and greater international solidarity in addressing the climate crisis.

 

A major focus of Antigua and Barbuda’s advocacy will be the anticipated overshoot of the 1.5°C global warming threshold, a development that poses an existential threat to small island nations. The Prime Minister is expected to stress the importance of limiting both the extent and duration of any overshoot, warning that continued increases in global temperatures will intensify sea-level rise, extreme weather events, coastal erosion and other threats to the economic and social stability of vulnerable countries.

 

Prime Minister Browne’s programme will also include high-level discussions on South-South cooperation with the People’s Republic of China, aimed at deepening collaboration in renewable energy, technology transfer, climate innovation and capacity building.

 

These engagements form part of Antigua and Barbuda’s broader strategy to accelerate its transition towards clean energy, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and attract investment in sustainable and climate-resilient development.

 

The Prime Minister is also expected to participate in discussions on green industrialisation, the global clean energy transition and implementation of the Paris Agreement, while highlighting the importance of ensuring that smaller developing economies are not disadvantaged in the transition to a low-carbon global economy.

 

Antigua and Barbuda continues to maintain that the climate crisis is not simply an environmental challenge, but a fundamental development and economic security issue requiring urgent, coordinated and equitable international responses.

 

Through his participation at COP31, Prime Minister Browne will continue to press for a global climate agenda that moves beyond declarations and commitments to deliver tangible results, particularly for countries that contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions but remain among the most exposed to their devastating consequences.

 

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda remains resolute in its commitment to ensuring that the voices of Small Island Developing States are heard and that global climate action delivers meaningful financing, stronger resilience and a sustainable future for present and future generations.