Trini to represent Caribbean at UN climate change summit

CEO of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) Racquel Moses has been appointed the newest UN global ambassador to represent the Caribbean at the UN climate change summit.

The 26th UN Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC) will hold its yearly Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, from November 1-12.

In a release, Island Innovation said the UN High Level Climate Champions had appointed a small group of global leaders, including Moses, who is a Trinidadian, to represent the region.

It said the global ambassadors were chosen on the basis of their committed work on transformative change and addressing the climate crisis.

The organisation said the CCSA had been created through a partnership between the prime ministers of Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia
and the founder of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, who all shared a vision for the Caribbean to become the world’s first climate-smart zone.

Moses reacted to her appointment by saying, “It is an honour to have been selected as an ambassador for the UNFCCC Race to Zero and Race to Resilience programme. I was already set to travel to Glasgow to take part in COP26 and represent the interests of the Caribbean and other developing nations and this has bolstered my determination to bring forth the challenges we are facing.”

She said certain islands have not been able to send delegations owing to the covid19 pandemic, including accessibility to the conference’s location, so it is important that the region has representation in Glasgow.

“Islands need a seat at the table when discussing sustainable development and economic development. I intend to make our collective voices heard,” she said.

The release said Moses will be joined by other global ambassadors including the UN secretary general special envoy for climate ambition and solutions Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and 108th mayor of New York City, Dr Susan Chomba and Prof Saleem Huq.