Minister Pável Isa Contreras calls for Caribbean unity to address sargassum

New York.- The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Economy, Pável Isa Contreras, participated in an event organized by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, where he urged Caribbean nations to unite in tackling the growing sargassum problem. The event, focused on international climate policy, highlighted the financial challenges facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and discussed reforms to the global financial system.

Isa Contreras emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation among small island states to combat the environmental impact of climate change, particularly sargassum, which affects Caribbean coasts. He thanked Germany and Samoa for organizing the meeting and acknowledged GIZ’s support in aiding the Dominican Republic’s energy transition and vulnerable communities. He noted the heightened vulnerability of small island states in the face of climate change and praised the progress made with the vulnerability index.

The minister stressed the need to link resilience-building efforts with reforms to the international financial architecture, as resilience depends heavily on access to long-term financing. He called on influential countries to drive changes in the financial system, noting that the focus should be on securing necessary financing rather than relying on aid.