The Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas joins international and regional leaders to launch the Great Caribbean Shifts Report
United Nations, New York (1 October 2025) – At the height of last week’s United Nations High Level Week the Federation’s Foreign Minister joined the Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Secretary General the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) as well as leaders from the International Organization on Migration (IOM) and United Nations Office on Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to launch the Global Center on Climate Mobility’s “Great Caribbean Shifts” report. The Foreign Minister’s intervention centered climate risks and opportunities at the heart of the Federation’s foreign policy.
Dr. Douglas welcomed heightened attention to this critical matter by thanking the Global Center on Climate Mobility and its partners for “holding steadfast to this noble cause as often those displaced by climate events are often voiceless on the world stage. Climate mobility is not unique to the Caribbean, and it is not just a Caribbean issue but it’s a global issue.”
According to the Global Center on Climate Mobility, “the Greater Caribbean Climate Mobility Initiative (GCCMI) was launched in 2022 to support the nations in the Greater Caribbean in harnessing the potential of mobility for climate resilient development in the region and coordinating efforts to address climate-forced displacement and migration through comprehensive and locally anchored solutions. By anticipating future climate risks and movements of people, the Initiative seeks to support planning and cooperation to enable positive community transition, create safe climate mobility pathways and protect the rights and dignity of those who are forced to move.”
The GCCMI is a joint effort of the Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM) and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), in close collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the World Bank. By building the evidence base, bringing together diverse actors and stakeholders from across the region and beyond, and advancing a common Agenda for Action, the GCCMI works to foster a growing climate mobility ecosystem in the Greater Caribbean and to support the integration of policy action across sectors and levels of governance.
Further information pertaining to the Greater Caribbean Climate Mobility Initiative can be accessed at: https://greatercaribbean.climatemobility.org/