The first ever Virtual Island Summit (October 6-10th 2019) is bringing together experts from around the world to share information on sustainable practices and some of the most pressing issues for island communities. Chief Executive, Pouponneau, participated in this zero carbon summit to share solutions among islands from the comfort of Victoria.
Pouponneau was invited to the panel on Financing a Green-Blue Economy for islands. The Seychelles has pioneered its venture into innovative financing for the blue economy which has sparked interest across the world. Pouponneau shared how the Seychelles’ Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT), the independent public-private trust fund provides finance for projects linked to ocean conservation, climate change and the blue economy. The Trust is capitalised through two innovative financing instruments. They are the debt-for-nature swap and the sovereign blue bond. The proceeds of these two instrument go towards the specific 5 strategic objectives of the Trust. She then was able to depict the projects that have been successfully funded by the proceeds showing how local communities and private sector has benefited from this.
Topics for the conference will be wide ranging, with the idea of finding commonalities across diverse island communities and sharing information. Panels are sustainable development, geopolitics, cultural preservation, journalism, communications and other topics pertinent to all island communities.
Former Prime Minister of Aruba Mike Eman, who is also speaking at the summit, greeted the launch with enthusiasm saying: “The Virtual Island Summit is bringing together island communities from around the world with a shared purpose of making their islands more sustainable, more prosperous and securing well-being for all of their citizens. This is a fantastic opportunity to exchange information between islands facing similar challenges and opportunities, and I am looking to sharing my own experiences and learning from all attending.”
The summit prides itself on being ‘zero carbon’, meaning all sessions will be hosted online from the comfort of your own home or office – this is the first time ever an island summit has been done remotely. The event has a vision of a more sustainable world, and welcomes anyone interested to be a part of this unique project that is the ‘Virtual Island Summit’. With ever more efficient technology, summits like this could become the mainstream and help to reduce our need for flying.
If you missed it, you can re-watch the video.