Island states stand in solidarity in the fight against climate change
“Ireland is an island, and it has had great success over the last 30 years,” said David O’Sullivan. That success has been achieved through research, through innovation and as a result, “we have a pretty good knowledge of our marine environment. And we’d like to be able to share that with other island nations as best we can, understanding that small island states can’t tackle all these issues alone.”
‘Please send help’: Caribbean reels from Hurricane Beryl devastation
This should have been a week of celebration in the Caribbean country of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). The annual Vincy Mas carnival, which attracts thousands of tourists, had advertised a packed schedule of costume parades & soca competitions. Instead, the Vincentian population is reeling from what the country’s prime minister has described as the “utter devastation” wrought by Hurricane Beryl, which ravaged the multi-island country and its eastern neighbour Grenada.
How the Faroe Islands turned a voluntourism project into a dream vacation
The Faroe Islands famously has more sheep than people. But in 2023, approximately 130,000 foreign tourists visited the remote Nordic archipelago, outnumbering the roughly 54,000 full-time Faroese. So it’s no surprise that the self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark is more concerned about the growing population of tourists than sheep.
Iceland's debut gender bond sets template for other governments
A niche bond sale in Iceland may provide a template for other governments looking to promote their commitment to gender equality. The island nation this week sold a €50 million gender bond, a kind of debt that funds projects to promote women’s empowerment. The sale was the first for a sovereign nation, with the innovation adding to a smorgasbord of ethical debt labels to appeal to investors with sustainable mandates.
May was a great month for in-person events! It’s been beyond fulfilling to watch 2 of our main goals for 2024 come alive:
We successfully hosted the Global Sustainable Island Summit at Prince Edward Island, Canada.
We attended the SIDS4 Conference in Antigua & Barbuda and hosted 6 side events.
We have had a very productive run with these projects, now it’s time to transition to our next challenge: the 6th edition of the Virtual Island Summit, our flagship virtual event. You can already save your spot!
