United Nations representatives after the signing of the 2015 Paris agreement
Antigua & Barbuda, one of the first nations to have applied to the newly created Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub and along with other regional countries, is expected to benefit from the removal of “red tape” in accessing funds to mitigate against climate change.
According to a September 20 press release from the Commonwealth Secretariat, neighbours Barbados, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana and Jamaica are also lined up to receive promised funding through the new access hub.
Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland stated, “Too often [funds] are tied up in red tape and tremendously complicated to access, especially for small countries with limited capacity. In short, the money isn’t getting to those who need it nearly fast enough.”
From November to December 2015, delegates from around the globe met in Paris for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which produced the Paris Agreement.