Barbudans resisting destructive island developments ironically excluded from International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

Excerpt and Photo from https://medium.com/@caribbeanclash

As the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) kicks off in Antigua civil society groups are calling out the UN event for excluding Barbudans while platforming the developers who are destroying their island. The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) together with local partner, the Barbuda Land Rights and Resources Committee (BLRRC) are raising serious concerns regarding the lack of grassroots and local representation specifically of Barbudan land defenders and the Barbuda Council.

At the same time, billionaire JP Dejoria whose company Peace Love Happiness (PLH) is building a golf resort over Barbuda’s internationally listed wetland is appearing at events in the company of Prime Minister Gaston Browne. These destructive developments make this low-lying island more vulnerable to climate change and have already attracted widespread international criticism from UN experts who have written both to Dejoria and Browne raising issues with the PLH project on human rights grounds.

Rather than being at the table where decisions are made, Barbudans’ only option is to raise awareness of the ecological and climate crisis on Barbuda outside the event.