Ms Angelique Pouponneau, who is following the Doctoral programme offered by the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta, attended the COP26 in Glasgow.
Ms Pouponneau is part of the official delegation of the Seychelles, a Small Island State located in the Indian Ocean. She is coordinating and representing the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) on matters relating to the impacts of response measures for COP26. Ms Pouponneau is also participating in negotiations on loss and damage and climate adaptation. As part of this role, Ms Pouponneau is negotiating on behalf of 44 countries, which brings a new set of challenges, trying to bring parties together and agree on a common position. Parts of the negotiations relate to issues on the ocean-climate nexus, climate finance, including debt-for-nature swaps and blue bonds.
Ms Pouponneau’s doctoral research is exploring the development of legislation for islands and small states to ensure that they have the most effective regulatory framework to receive climate and ocean finance. Ms Pouponneau is also being nominated for election for the seat of the Board alternate of the Adaptation Fund – another opportunity to better understand how finance is being mobilised and managed to increase the adaptive capacity of developing countries.
Ms Pouponneau had a final message for all doctoral students, mentioning the importance of applied research. “Island nations and small states have capacity constraints,” she remarked, “especially with the many ongoing negotiations, and participating in such events is an opportunity to grow one’s experience and exposure, but also to provide valuable contribution towards a live international policy-making process.”
To follow the research activities of doctoral students and those of the ISSI, please visit their website www.um.edu.mt/issi. For further details/interviews please contact Dr Stefano Moncada.