WASHINGTON, DC, United States (CMC) – At least 20 countries from Central America and the Caribbean are calling on the international financial and development institutions “to prioritise the provision of funds and resources” to support the efforts of developing countries in the region in addressing climate change.

Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Sir Ronald Sanders, drafted the original and historic declaration by Central America and the Caribbean countries, urging the international community to support their efforts in addressing climate change, recognising the urgency and magnitude of the challenges faced by these regions.

Sir Ronald also presented the declaration on behalf of the 20 Caribbean and Central American countries after securing unanimous support.

He explained that, hitherto, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean at the OAS had never joined together to express their shared concern about the evident heating up of the planet.

“Now they have not only let the world know of their joint worry, but they have also collectively called for action.”

The joint declaration calls for international financial and development institutions to prioritise the provision of funds and resources to Central America and the Caribbean, with Sir Ronald noting that while small island developing states (SIDS) have been making their voices heard at meetings of the UN Committee of the Parties at many climate change meetings, there is a need to widen the alliance of states which are jointly seeking remedies for loss and damage to their economies and the livelihoods of their people.

The 20 countries that made the joint declaration at the OAS General Assembly are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts-Nevis, Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama.