Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across the Caribbean, Pacific, and AIS (Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea) regions face acute and compounding vulnerabilities — cyclones, heat waves, sea-level rise, and structural dependence on imported fossil fuels — that threaten national security, economic stability, and critical infrastructure. Yet these same vulnerabilities create an opportunity to leapfrog toward decentralized, climate-resilient renewable energy systems built on hardened infrastructure, mini-grids, and battery storage, enabling business continuity, economic diversification, and inclusive growth.  

Despite their acute exposure, SIDS receive only a marginal share of global climate finance. The UN's new Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) highlights that income-based metrics systematically underestimate SIDS' true risk profiles. Operationalizing the MVI is therefore critical to building a fairer international financial architecture, one that better mobilizes concessional resources and appropriately prices the upfront investment needed for resilient renewable infrastructure.  

The roundtable brings together representatives from across SIDS regions to explore practical application of the MVI and strategies to mobilize affordable finance and private investment for climate-resilient energy as a driver of disaster recovery, diversification, and local value creation. A key initiative highlighted is the Global Programme on Climate-Resilient Renewable Energy Systems in SIDS (G-RES), implemented by UNIDO with support from GEF and the Austrian Government. By connecting global, regional, and national projects through SIDS–SIDS and triangular cooperation, harmonized standards, and blended finance, G-RES lowers barriers to private sector engagement and accelerates progress toward the goals of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).  

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