By Makeida Antonio
One of Antigua and Barbuda’s young professionals is representing the country at COP27, the United Nations climate summit being held in Egypt from November 6-18.
This is 29-year-old Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Fellow Zachary Phillips’ second time as a member of the national delegation, having also attended COP26 last year in Glasgow.
According to an online publication by the United Nations Environment Programme, Egypt has assumed the presidency of COP27 “with a clear recognition of the gravity of the global climate challenge and an appreciation of the value of multilateral, collective and concerted action as the only means to address this truly global threat”.
Phillips gave Observer insight into the preparation stage of the ongoing meetings which he believes is crucial for all AOSIS members who have been pushing for a loss and damage response fund to be established at COP27.
Antiguan Zachary Phillips (center) as part of the AOSIS delegation attending COP27 in Egypt. (Photos contributed)
“What this means is that we are hoping to have a pool of funds available for any developing country that has suffered from an event caused by climate change. This can range from hurricanes to droughts or even rising sea levels,” he explained.
“Our hope is that this fund is finally agreed to at COP27 so that we can have some assistance with addressing the damage that we are currently facing as a result of climate change and we no longer have to rely on humanitarian aid, which is not as systematic in relief as a loss and damage response fund needs to be,” he said.
The former St. Joseph Academy and UWI student noted, too, that he will be assisting the negotiations as the Fellows fight for climate justice.
“Each of the AOSIS Fellows has a specific area that they are tasked with following during the negotiations,” he said.
“My area will be loss and damage and my specific role in preparation has been to coordinate regional workshops amongst AOSIS members so that we can come to a common position on the details of this response fund.
“I also will be working with the loss and damage coordinator for AOSIS to assist with the negotiations within the room and make sure our positions are accurately represented and defended within these negotiation rooms.”
Phillips said he decided to apply for the AOSIS fellowship because he always had an interest in the multilateral system, the process of organising relations between groups of three or more states.
He added that the highlights of the fellowship thus far include climate negotiations in Germany and Egypt, the UN Ocean Conference in Portugal, UN meetings on disarmament and international legal issues, drafting speeches and talking points on AOSIS, and national positions to be delivered by AOSIS/Antiguan and Barbudan officers.
“The way that states come together to find tangible solutions to problems that they cannot face alone has always intrigued me. I have a Master’s in international law and so getting an intimate understanding of how states coordinate on climate change, ocean governance and sustainable development sounded like a great opportunity to me,” he said.
Phillips admitted that his interest in matters of climate change did not extend further than small service organisations and similar community groups until he joined the AOSIS fellowship. Although he took academic courses in environmental law, he developed a deeper understanding of climate issues along this UN journey.
“This fellowship really gives you in-depth knowledge, the knowledge that I wouldn’t have picked up anywhere else,” he explained.
As an aspiring ambassador, Phillips shared his gratitude for the opportunity which allowed him to see the inner workings of diplomacy and said it is “extremely inspiring” seeing the office engage multilaterally and lead committees, spearhead projects and negotiations.
“I am happy that I got to join the office while Antigua and Barbuda was the chair of AOSIS because I joined the office at a time that Antiguans and Barbudans are in positions of leadership in an organisation that coordinates not just regionally, but globally as well,” he said.
“I think we have chaired extremely capably, and it feels inspiring to have been a part of that team. Inspiring as an individual, as an Antiguan, but also as a young man from an island nation because, unfortunately, the world sometimes views coming from such a small country as a handicap, but no one in the office has ever shown that they are less capable than any other officer at the UN. That is the standard I hope to keep for myself.”
When asked what young people can do locally to address climate change issues and help mitigate against future disasters, Phillips listed several tangible actions including proper waste disposal, integrating climate resiliency into building homes, schools and community centres, refraining from purchasing products proved to harm the environment and holding each other accountable as the country moves towards green living.
“It may sound cliché but every little bit does in fact count. While we cannot account for the actions of the rest of the world, we can hold Antiguans and Barbudans accountable for keeping Antigua and Barbuda within our goals for climate change,” he said.
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