Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 116890, on Climate Change: Developing Countries, what support will be available for debt-vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that are not eligible for debt treatment assistance under the Common Framework for Debt Treatment.

Of the 73 low-income countries that are eligible for the Common Framework, 22 are Small Island Developing States. Countries that are ineligible for the Common Framework may still apply for a debt treatment from the Paris Club. The UK is a longstanding member of the Paris Club and has a strong record of working with international partners to assist countries on their road to longer-term debt sustainability.

The UK has also committed to double our International Climate Finance to developing countries to at least £11.6bn between 2021 and 2025. We recognise that the challenge of adaptation and resilience is immediate, and often more acute for Small Island Developing States than for many other states. We will continue to balance mitigation spend with adaptation spend. Over the last 10 years, UK International Climate Finance has supported 88 million people to cope with the effects of climate change, providing 41 million with improved access to clean energy and avoided or reduced 51 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

As COP26 Presidency and G7 Presidency, we made it a priority to demonstrate progress on the goal to mobilise $100bn a year in climate finance from developed to developing countries to 2025. Under the UK COP26 Presidency, 95% of the largest developed country climate finance providers made new, forward-looking commitments, with many doubling or even quadrupling their support for developing countries to take climate action. It is now likely that $500 billion will be mobilised over the period 2021-25. This means more money for developing countries to decarbonise and adapt to the impacts of climate change, including Small Island Developing States.