At a Glance
The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund was legally established in March 2015 by passage of The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund Act. The Trust Fund is an independent entity dedicated to raising, managing and disbursing funds to qualified applicants to build resilience to climate change impacts and transition to clean, renewable energy. The Trust Fund is part of a wider framework for climate change response in The Virgin Islands which also includes a comprehensive Climate Change Policy and a multisector Climate Change Committee.
The objectives are of the Trust Fund are to:
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Seek to facilitate a link between domestic and international climate change finance sources with national climate change investment strategies
Serve as a catalyst to attract investments to implement a range of priority climate change adaptation and mitigation projects and programmes in The Virgin Islands
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Serve as the official organisation designated on behalf of the Territory to receive direct financing from any external source in order to carry out climate change adaptation and mitigation projects and programmes in The Virgin Islands
A Brief Intro
The Virgin Islands is a small island archipelago in the northeast Caribbean, totalling just 59 square miles. Like all small island developing states, the Territory, including its fragile environment and tourism based economy, is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The Virgin Islands is already suffering from heat waves, coral bleaching, sea level rise and coastal erosion, more frequent extreme flood events and record-breaking hurricanes, like Category 5 Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Source: BVI Map
Our Passion To Drive Change
Climate change adaptation is an urgent priority to ensure the security and viability of the islands, but the scale of funding required to adapt and to transition to green energy far outstrips the resources of the islands.
Due to its constitutional status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, The Virgin Islands is ineligible to access international climate funds such as the Adaptation Fund or Green Climate Fund. Additionally, The Virgin Islands does not receive any direct climate finance from the United Kingdom.
The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund provides a trusted and secure solution to raising much-needed climate finance from the international community to support priority climate change adaptation and mitigation projects and programmes across The Virgin Islands.
The Trust Fund is currently seeking bilateral and independent donors to support its first grant cycle. Contact the Trust Fund to support The Virgin Islands’ journey to resilience!
What do we support?
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Climate change adaptation and mitigation actions by Government, the private sector, civil society and academia.
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A wide range of adaptation and mitigation measures, including on-the-ground projects, capacity building, education, research/studies, introduction of innovative technologies, changes in legislation, policy/strategy development and establishment of incentive programmes.
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Actions across a wide variety of sectors as guided by The Virgin Islands Climate Change Policy, including:
Governance
The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund is governed at the highest level by a Board of Trustees. The Board is charged with executive control and management of the Trust Fund. Importantly, the Board is responsible for development the Trust Fund’s Operational Manual and Business Plan and makes final decisions on all applications to the Trust Fund for support.
The Board is comprised of a total of 9 members. The majority (6) of these come from the private sector and civil society and are selected through a transparent and competitive public application/nomination process. Three (3) of the members are ex-officio and include the Financial Secretary, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, and the Chief Operating Officer of the Trust Fund.
Trust Fund Board Members
Members of the Trust Fund Board pictured with the Premier, Dr. Hon. Natalio Wheatley
Edward Childs – Chairman, Representing Any Sector Responsible for Making Contributions to the Fund
John Klein - Deputy Chairman, Representing the Tourism Sector
Ronald Smith-Berkeley - Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Ex-Officio Member
Jeremiah Frett - Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Ex-Officio Member
Dr. Shannon Gore – representing a Non-governmental Organisation or Community-based Organisation
Mr. Ronnie Lettsome representing an Individual ordinarily resident in the Territory
From left to right: Mr. Jeremiah Frett, Mr. Ronald Smith-Berkeley, Dr. Hon Natalio Wheatley, Mr. Edward Childs, Mr. John Klein, Dr. Shannon Gore, Mr. Ronnie Lettsome.