Global Sustainable Islands Summit 2025 Provides Opportunity to Chart a New Course For Small Island States

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - Prime Minister Dr. Terrence Drew says the Global Sustainable Islands Summit 2025 (GSIS) serves as a clarion call to rethink, to reimagine, and to re-forge  shared destiny as island nations face  the defining challenges of current generation.

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew addressing the opening of the Global Sustainable Islands Summit 2025 (GSIS)The event, which ends here on Thursday,  has brought together government leaders, policy-makers, global investors, and, most importantly, youth changemakers to engage in critical dialogue on the escalating climate crisis and other existential challenges confronting small island developing states (SIDS).

Prime Minister Drew said the forum serves as a vital platform for small islands to not only be heard, but to lead and that from rising sea levels to economic vulnerability, island nations are on the frontlines of climate change.

“The climate is changing, seas are rising, and economies are transforming, and in the midst of it all, our people on islands, large or small, are calling on us to lead and to act,” he said, noting that while SIDS face disproportionate risks, they are also centers of innovation, resilience, and bold leadership.

“While our landmass may be modest, our vision is vast. We gather here not as isolated dots on the map, but as constellations of islands and countries united by history, resilience, and a shared determination to chart a new course for our people and planet,” Prime Minister  Drew said, underscoring the importance of inclusion, equity, and meaningful collaboration in global climate governance.

“For too long, small island developing states like ours have been invited to the table late, if at all, and hardly to ever speak in the mike. Too often, our stories are footnotes, our data are averages, and our innovations are overlooked.

“But we know, and the world is beginning to recognize, that islands are not just the periphery, we are the pulse. We are on the front lines of climate change. But, and I dare say, we are also on the front line of solutions.”

Prime Minister Drew said  that as climate change continues to pose an existential threat,  gatherings like GSIS are not just important, they are imperative and that small island states, through their innovation, lived experience, and consistent advocacy, are illuminating the path to a more sustainable and climate-resilient future for all.

“We gather here not as isolated dots on the map, but as a constellation of islands and countries united by history, resilience, and a shared determination to chart a new course for our people and our planet.”

The Summit, which is now in its third edition, is being hosted in St. Kitts-Nevis for the first time with Prime Minister Drew recalling his participation at the 2024 Summit in Prince Edward Island, Canada, which inspired the Federation’s bold move to bring the international dialogue home to the Caribbean.

“The seed was planted for what we now witness blooming here in the Caribbean, an island summit hosted by an island nation, for island people, with global consequence,” he said, adding that the decision to host the summit is a continuation of the twin island Federation’s commitment to its Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA).

“SISA is not a slogan, it is a framework that touches every part of our national life. It pushes us to build smarter homes, power our country with the sun, tap into the geothermal energy beneath our soil, and teach our children not just how to succeed in the world, but how to sustain it,” he added.

The Global Sustainable Island Summit 2025 continues throughout the week with high-level discussions, technical exchanges, and collaboration on key issues such as renewable energy, climate financing, ocean conservation, food and water security, and sustainable urban planning.

Sustainable Development, Environment, and Climate Action Minister,  Dr. Joyelle Clarke, underscored the urgency of climate action and the transformative role of sustainable development in safeguarding the future of small island nations.

“Welcome to our home, a place where sustainability is transcending ambition and becoming a living, breathing national commitment. We are honored today to host with Island Innovation and our strategic partners, the Republic of China (Taiwan), island nations from across the globe – from the Cayman Islands to the Canary Islands, from Martinique to the Marshall Islands, from St. Eustatius to Seychelles.

“Your presence here is a powerful reminder that though we may be separated by the ocean, we are united in purpose and spirit. As coastal island nations, we understand, St. Kitts- Nevis understands, perhaps more intimately than most, the urgency of the climate crisis. That is why we are aggressively and ambitiously pursuing our sustainable development and our sustainable island state agenda,”  she said.

She said it is also  important to translate dialogue into tangible results.

“This is not just a policy goal, but a means of protecting lives, livelihoods, ecosystems, and future generations. Over the next three days, we are not simply here to digitize our experience, to stream, share and network. You can do that, but that’s not the goal.

“We are here to concretize our discussions, to give weight, substance, and reality to bold ideas that will be exchanged. We are here to shape outcomes, to forge partnerships, and to leave this summit with transformative, actionable solutions for our islands and our people.”