United Nations, New York, September 24, 2026 (SKNIS): Sea level rise is posing an increasingly urgent threat to the sovereignty, livelihoods and long-term survival of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), with vulnerable nations already confronting coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion and the loss of land.
Against this backdrop, the Honourable Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Acting Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, called for concrete international action to protect vulnerable island states and ensure that their sovereignty and maritime entitlements are not diminished by the physical effects of rising seas.
Dr. Hanley made the call during the High-Level Plenary Meeting to Address the Existential Threats Posed by Sea Level Rise, held at United Nations Headquarters on Thursday, September 24, on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
“Sea level rise is not a projection confined to a graph or a model. It is measured and evident, for our nation, in the erosion of the coastline, the salinisation of water resources and loss of land our families have farmed for generations,” Dr. Hanley said.
He stressed that the international response must go beyond acknowledging the threat and deliver practical measures that protect the permanence of island states, including their sovereignty and maritime entitlements.
Dr. Hanley reaffirmed Saint Kitts and Nevis’ support for urgent work within international law to establish permanent maritime baselines, ensuring that ocean states do not lose access to maritime resources simply because rising seas alter their coastlines.
“This is not technical. This is survival. For a nation whose exclusive economic zone represents two times of its land territory, the permanence of maritime boundaries is inseparable from the permanence of the nation itself,” he said.
Acting Prime Minister Hanley also called for sustained investment in coastal protection, managed retreat where necessary, stronger regional early warning systems and streamlined access to climate financing.
He further urged that commitments on loss and damage be translated into resources that reach vulnerable countries before irreversible losses occur, stressing the urgency of protecting the future of SIDS as the impacts of sea level rise intensify.
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