By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

GOVERNMENT officials will meet their counterparts in December for what is expected to be the final meeting that establishes the processes and protocols for a Loss and Damage Fund that helps developing countries affected by climage change.

Rochelle Newbold, the prime minister’s special advisor on climate change, said yesterday: “Even though the fund was agreed to, there had to be protocols and programmes put in place to show how the fund would operate with the delivery of the funding that would be coming from the developing nations and international agencies. December of this year would be the final meeting for that fund, where the final operationalization procedures will be in place.”

She said that, during the meeting, officials will determine the criteria for accessing to the fund.

“This COP is definitely the final coming to the end of the road on matters relative to climate and climate finance, as during this COP, we would need to agree on the what they are calling the new quantified collective goal,” said Ms Newbold, referring to the upcoming COP29 meeting.

The event will be held from November 11 to 22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ms Newbold said a “small, but tight delegation” led by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis will attend, with the Ministry of Health presenting national health adaptation plans.

The Loss and Damage Fund, established during the COP27 climate conference, aims to provide financial assistance to developing countries most affected by climate change. The fund acknowledges the historical responsibility of developed nations for greenhouse gas emissions and seeks to support vulnerable countries through financial resources for disaster recovery, adaptation strategies, and preventive measures.

At the recent COP28 conference, several countries pledged a total of about $800 million to kickstart the fund.