Castries, Saint Lucia, October 21, 2025 – During September, Saint Lucia hosted a Regional Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Exchange to advance climate finance initiatives in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Supported by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the NDC Partnership, the event brought together representatives from the Eastern Caribbean and international partners to share insights, strengthen collaboration, and highlight Saint Lucia’s leadership in national climate finance initiatives. It served as a catalyst for enhancing regional collaboration and dialogue on the topic. 

The session explored current initiatives and future aspirations for climate finance across participating countries. Discussions highlighted the efforts of Dominica and St. Kitts and Nevis, with commitments from GGGI, the NDC Partnership and private sector representatives to support these countries in achieving their goals. 

Director of Finance in the Government of Saint Lucia, Mr. Imran Williams stated, “Saint Lucia is proud to host this knowledge exchange and to share our experience in developing effective climate finance frameworks. By working together with our regional and international partners, we can accelerate regional progress on climate resilience and ensure that financial resources are used efficiently to protect lives, our communities and our economies.”  

“GGGI is delighted to support Saint Lucia and the wider Caribbean in building strong climate finance frameworks. Events like this foster regional cooperation, enable the sharing of best practices, and help countries unlock the financial resources needed to implement climate-resilient projects,” said Dr. Sherry Constantine, Sustainable Finance Senior Officer, GGGI.

Participants were introduced to four critical initiatives completed by Saint Lucia and reflected on the lessons learned from these experiences. One initiative was the formulation of recommendations for incorporating climate and gender tagging into financial systems to ensure climate finance is accurately tracked at the national level. This work continues in collaboration with the Offices of the Budget and the Accountant General.  

Insights were shared from the recently completed Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR), which assessed how national climate policy priorities are reflected in public expenditures and how institutions can be strengthened to coordinate climate finance more effectively across all of government. 

The importance of creating a green-blue climate finance entity was highlighted as a key step toward strengthening collaboration between the public and private sector to mobilize climate investment. Saint Lucia’s pursuit of this ambitious initiative demonstrates its commitment to developing bold and innovative financial solutions to support climate resilience and sustainable growth.  

Moreover, the newly established Climate Finance Unit (CFU) was recognized for its critical role as the coordinating entity, leading efforts to mobilize, access, monitor, track and report funding from domestic, regional and international sources to build Saint Lucia’s resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts. 

The private sector, which has a significant climate finance role, was not left out of the discussion. Key insights were shared about the types of support the private sector can provide to countries as they strengthen their climate finance frameworks, and recommendations were made on how to encourage the private sector to play a more active role.  

The exchange further focused on identifying next steps to strengthen national climate finance strategies across the region, and discussed opportunities for support from Saint Lucia, the NDC Partnership and the GGGI in advancing country-specific climate finance goals. Participants emphasized the value of collaboration, mutual learning, and peer support in accelerating regional progress, sharing practical solutions and guidance to enhance climate finance frameworks, and maximizing the impact of available resources. 

The knowledge exchange concluded with a renewed commitment among participants to continue technical collaboration, share lessons learned, and develop tailored strategies to improve climate finance outcomes across the Caribbean.  

This event reaffirmed the region’s shared dedication to strengthening resilience, mobilizing resources effectively, and responding proactively to the growing impacts of climate change. Saint Lucia’s leadership and openness in sharing lessons learned underscored the power of peer exchange in driving progress.