The OACPS SIDS High-Level Dialogue on Climate Finance and Nature-based Solutions will bring together ambassadors, policymakers, development partners, financing institutions, and technical experts to explore how climate and biodiversity finance can be mobilised more effectively for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The event will take place on 10 September 2026 at the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels.
Small Island Developing States are on the frontline of climate change and biodiversity loss. Their economies, food security, livelihoods, and resilience depend heavily on healthy coastal and marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass meadows. Yet these vital natural assets remain significantly underfunded despite their critical role in climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development.
The Dialogue will focus on the growing potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as both a resilience strategy and a financial opportunity. Participants will examine innovative approaches to climate and biodiversity finance, including blended finance, blue carbon, ecosystem insurance, and other mechanisms capable of unlocking greater investment in nature and climate resilience across SIDS.
Organised under the EU-funded Intra-ACP Support Programme for OACPS SIDS, the event will provide a platform for exchange between SIDS representatives from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, as well as European Union partners and international experts. Discussions will contribute to the development of a Joint OACPS SIDS Statement on Nature-based Solutions and Climate Finance, helping to inform preparations for Pre-COP31, CBD COP17, and COP31.
By strengthening cooperation and identifying practical pathways for resource mobilisation, the Dialogue aims to support a shared vision: harnessing nature as a driver of resilience, sustainable development, and long-term prosperity for Small Island Developing States.
KEY RESOURCES
PROGRAMME & SCHEDULE
Detailed programme and schedule for the OACPS SIDS High Level Dialogue on Climate Finance and Nature-based, held on the 10th of September 2026 at the OACPS Secretariat — Avenue des Communautés 110, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, 1200 Brussels.
BACKGROUND NOTE
The note summarizes the state of play while underlining current opportunities for OACPS Small Island Developing States to use Nature-based Solutions, especially coastal and marine ecosystems, as a strategic tool to unlock climate and biodiversity finance and strengthen a common voice ahead of major 2026 international negotiations.
VIDEO REPORTAGE ON FINANCING FOR NATURE AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN SIDS
A new video shining a spotlight on one of the most pressing challenges facing island nations today: how to mobilise the financial resources needed to protect biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, and secure sustainable development. The video was produced under the EU-funded Intra-ACP Support Programme for OACPS Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
POLICY BRIEF ON NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
A new policy brief, launched by the Nature-based Solutions Initiative at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the OACPS-EC Intra-ACP Support Programme for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), highlights the critical role that nature-based solutions (NbS) can play in helping island nations address the growing impacts of climate change while simultaneously supporting biodiversity and local livelihoods.
PUBLICATION ON FINANCING BIODIVERSITY IN SIDS
A new publication provides the first comprehensive assessment of biodiversity finance flows across African, Caribbean and Pacific SIDS and presents a roadmap for mobilising greater investment in nature-based resilience. The assessment was authored by Sandra Freitas, Laurel Parish and Tsaone Amogelang Mokwatso under the EU-funded Intra-ACP Support Programme for OACPS SIDS.
PRESENTATION OF THE SUPPORT PROGRAMME FOR SIDS (SPS)
The EU-funded Intra-ACP Support Programme for OACPS SIDS, is a €35 million initiative supporting 39 OACPS SIDS in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific through flagship regional initiatives helping to strengthen biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods and the blue economy across some of the world's most vulnerable yet globally important island nations.
