Virgin Islands launches Trust Fund at COP30
Published on November 24, 2025
Dr. Kedrick Pickering, Climate Envoy for the Premier and former Minister of Natural Resources and Labour, BVI
The Government of the Virgin Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, successfully hosted a series of high-level climate finance side events at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30).
Among them is the launch of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund VICCTF.
Angela Burnett Penn, Director, Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Government of The Virgin Islands
The VICCTF is legally established as an independent, permanent, nationally owned financial mechanism aligned with international fiduciary standards and global frameworks, including the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
It is designed to mobilise, manage, and disburse climate finance for adaptation and mitigation priorities outlined in The Virgin Islands Climate Change Policy.
Chamberlain Emmanuel, Head, OECS Environmental Sustainability Division
The Fund will initially support national resilience efforts, with opportunities for regionalisation across key sectors, including the environment, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, insurance and banking, human health, critical infrastructure, water resources, human settlements, and energy.
Its governance is anchored in stringent fiduciary standards, environmental and social safeguards, and a commitment to inclusive, sustainable development.
