Virtual Island Summit draws more than 6,000 participants ahead of COP31

More than 6,000 people took part in the eighth Virtual Island Summit, held online from 15 to 17 September, according to Island Innovation. The event brought together leaders, policymakers, researchers and practitioners from island regions including the Caribbean, Pacific, Europe, Indian Ocean and Arctic.

Island Innovation said the programme included 12 sessions on coastal erosion, ocean governance, food and energy security, tourism and climate finance. The sessions were organised around Adapt to Change, Transform Systems and Mobilise Action.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Penitala Teo said Tuvalu will host a pre-COP leaders’ side event on 6 October focused on the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project. Teo said the project has reclaimed about 15.3 hectares of land on Funafuti, Tuvalu’s capital.

Green Climate Fund Executive Director Mafalda Duarte said small island developing states receive 0.2% of global international adaptation finance. She said more than 34 million islanders have been affected by storms, floods or drought over the past decade, and that nearly a quarter of the fund’s projects are in small island developing states.

The summit also launched Island Blue Economies: Building Ocean Livelihoods That Last, a professional development programme for island practitioners. Island Innovation said it will begin on 13 October.