The United Arab Emirates played a pivotal role in securing the approval of the Loss and Damage Fund on the first day of COP28, according to Milagros De Camps, Deputy Minister of Planning, International Cooperation and Climate Change of the Dominican Republic.

Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), De Camps lauded the leadership of the UAE in overcoming arduous negotiations and achieving this historic milestone.

“This decision is vital for us,” she declared, emphasising the Fund’s significance for vulnerable nations like the Dominican Republic.

The Caribbean island nation, a member of the Loss and Damage Transitional Committee, has long been at the forefront of advocating for this essential mechanism. As the lead ministerial negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) on Loss and Damage for the past three years, De Camps knows first-hand the immense challenges faced by island nations on the frontline of climate change.

Located in the “hurricane path”, the Dominican Republic endures inc
reasingly frequent and severe storms. De Camps vividly described the “historic floods never seen before” that overwhelmed Santo Domingo just last week.

Rising sea levels, beach erosion, and the proliferation of sargassum – a toxic seaweed wreaking havoc on coasts and marine life – are further testaments to the dire situation. “When the sargassum starts to decompose on the shore, it is lethal for the surrounding species,” De Camps lamented.

With the urgency of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels driving their agenda, the Dominican delegation, led by Miguel de Jesús Ceara Hatton Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, arrived at COP28 with high hopes. The historic activation of the Loss and Damage Fund marks a critical step towards achieving this vital objective and supporting vulnerable nations in their fight against climate change.

Source: Emirates News Agency