Glasgow, Scotland 2nd November 2021: Still on the side-lines of the UNFCCC’s COP26 World Leader's Summit, President Ramkalawan during the past two days attended various meetings and held discussions with numerous world leaders and personalities.

Whilst attending the Round table discussion with fellow AOSIS Leaders on understanding Island Climate Priorities at COP26, President Ramkalawan had the opportunity to meet and interact with the President of the United States of America, President Joe Biden.

The meeting convened by the United States Government was chaired by Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken with the purpose to discuss climate change, the priorities of SIDS and how the US Government would assist.

During the meeting President Ramkalawan addressed two main issues: 1. Direct assistance to SIDS through an easy, well worked out mechanism that would basically fast track such processes. 2. Adopting a Vulnerability Index so that SIDS would assessed based on the vulnerability of their situation instead of the hard won economic gains, which  can be destroyed overnight, as happened to our tourism industry.

Other pertinent issues like insurance, climate change, adaptation and mitigation were amongst issues discussed.

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is an intergovernmental organization of low-lying coastal and small island countries. SIDS countries aside from Seychelles invited for the round table discussion included Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Fiji, Maldives, Mauritius, Palau, Saint Lucia and Union of the Comoros. AOSIS was established in 1990, ahead of the Second World Climate Conference.