The Virtual Island Summit 2020

Before virtual conferences had become our new norm, I was intrigued to learn last summer about an inaugural virtual island summit being organised by James Ellsmoor, founder of Island Innovation. The event focus was on building digital bridges and facilitating communication amongst island states, a topic that I am very interested in. So I gladly offered my support and helped to curate a session on 'Financing a Blue-Green Economy for Islands, kindly moderated by my friends at Baker and Mckenzie

I am thrilled to be supporting the Virtual Island Summit again this year representing the UK and Cayman Islands, as one of 200 global ambassadors, along with inspiring individuals like Emilio de Jesus from the Dominic Republic and Sharyn Yau from Hong Kong, for what promises to be an even bigger event.

Island nations around the world are disproportionately affected by climate change, and have had to adapt and innovate in order to survive. Many of these island states are also isolated, which is where the wonders of technology really plays its part. Island Innovation's mission is to connect this global community of island states and empower them to find sustainable solutions to the growing challenges they face due to climate change.

"It is after all our common humanity and desire to save our shared home for ourselves and future generations that connects us all." (James Ellsmoor)

James also believes that those of us in the more economically developed countries can learn a lot about how to live more sustainably and harmoniously with the planet by listening to those living on the small island developing states who have a wealth of knowledge to share.

The summit opens on Monday 7 September and runs until Sunday 13 September. There are over 30 different sessions with keynote addresses from government ministers from Fiji to the Caribbean. It is free to attend and entirely online. At last year’s summit, there were over 4,000 attendees from across the world who were able to participate adding their own thoughts and questions to the discussions, creating a very interactive and unique event. This year, with a record 10,000+ attendees expected, with some exciting new speakers from both the public and private sector, the summit is not to be missed.

With a core focus on the effects of island economies from the recent pandemic and the challenges created by climate change, there is a lot of work needed to done to ensure that islands are able to build back better. However, all involved in the summit are hoping that it can lead to real global change, with participants leaving armed with knowledge, new connections, and a desire to enact change.

For more information on how to register, full agenda and speaker list check out https://www.islandinnovation.co/summit/