Bahamas delegation secured the election of Justice Cheryl E. Bazard as Secretary-General of the Commission of Small Island States at COP 31.
The day’s clearest gain came at the annual meeting of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS). Prime Minister the Hon. Philip E. Davis, K.C., M.P., presented The Bahamas’ nominee, the Honourable Justice Cheryl E. Bazard. Member States elected her as the Commission’s Secretary-General. Her election places a Bahamian at the centre of the effort by small island states to turn international law into protection from climate harm.
Justice Bazard sits on the Supreme Court of The Bahamas and served as Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union. In 2024 she represented The Bahamas in Hamburg when the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delivered its advisory opinion on climate change.
“We came to Antalya to advance the interests of the Bahamian people,” said Prime Minister Davis. “Today small island states placed their trust in a daughter of The Bahamas, and I congratulate Justice Bazard on behalf of our Government and people. Our message to partners was direct: invest in the ocean we protect, and stand with the families who live in the path of the storms.”
The delegation made the case for The Bahamas’ ocean economy. At the CARICOM Pavilion, the Prime Minister set out the next phase of the Blue Carbon Programme and invited investors and partners to join it. He also met representatives of the Government of Australia, which holds the role of President of Negotiations at COP 31, to advance the ocean action agenda. Both countries steward some of the world’s largest seagrass meadows. The Bahamas is pressing for the climate value of those meadows to be recognised and financed.
The Prime Minister raised the protection of Bahamian families from climate displacement with Ms. Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Professor Kamal Amakrane, Managing Director of the Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM). In 2019, Hurricane Dorian drove thousands of residents of Abaco and Grand Bahama from their homes. The Bahamas is seeking partners who will help people stay safely where they live and move with dignity when they must.
Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Disaster Risk Management, the Hon. McKell Bonaby, took that priority to the region. At the high-level session ‘The Caribbean: Realizing the Global Principles through Regional Cooperation’, he drew on The Bahamas’ experience of disaster risk management. He made the case for Caribbean states to work together in applying the Global Principles for Addressing Climate Mobility.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Owen Wells, brought the needs of Bahamian schools to COP 31. At the session ‘From Water Access to Climate Resilience: The Bahamas School Water Supply and Access Project’, he set out how safe, reliable water in schools protects the health and learning of students. A secure supply also helps island communities withstand storms and drought.
The delegation’s work continues on Thursday. The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver The Bahamas’ national statement to the High-Level Segment and to address the Global Centre for Climate Mobility’s high-level session on sea-level rise.
The Office of the Prime Minister will provide further updates on the delegation’s engagements at COP 31.
