Climate Change and

Vulnerability
in Small Island States

26 January 2018
Venue: UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, Common Ground
South Wing, Wilkins Building, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

PROGRAMME

09:00 Coffee and Registration

09:30 Welcome – Kate Quinn, Institute of the Americas, UCL

09:35 – 10:00 Keynote: The Hon. Dr. Gale Rigobert, Minister for Education, Innovation, Gender Relations
and Sustainable Development, St. Lucia
[Chair: Edwin Laurent, Ramphal Institute]

10:00 – 11:00 PANEL ONE: SIDS & Tropical Cyclones [Chair: Arabella Fraser]
Dorothea Hodge, Former Representative of Anguilla to the UK
H.E. Jitoko Tikolevu, High Commissioner, Fiji
Janet Charles, Acting High Commissioner, Dominica
Benito Wheatley, Director, British Virgin Islands London Office

11:00 – 11:20 Break

11:20 – 11:45 Matthew Bishop, Sheffield University

‘Beyond Vulnerability and Resilience: 1.5 to Stay Alive, External Climatic Shocks as near-death experience?’

11:45 – 12:10 Emily Morris, UCL Institute of the Americas

‘Problems of measurement: estimating the economic impact of the 2017 Caribbean hurricane season’

12:10 – 12:35 Motselisi Matesela, Commonwealth Secretariat

‘Developing the Vulnerability Index’

12:35 – 13:35 Lunch (a sandwich lunch is provided to all delegates and speakers)
13:35 – 14:35 PANEL TWO: SIDS Vulnerability and Resilience [Chair: Stavros Mavrogenis]
John Crump, GRID-Arendal, ‘Many Strong Voices’
Rory Walshe, UCL, ‘The role of cultural memory in tropical cyclones in Mauritius for community
vulnerability and resilience’
Rebekah Yore, UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction and Rescue Global, ‘Early Warning Systems
and Evacuation: The Expectations and Realities of Hurricane Maria in Dominica 2017’

14:35 – 15:00 Linda Siegele, UCL

‘Addressing criticism: understanding the Paris agreement’s role in tackling loss and damage’

15:00 – 15:30 Tea and Coffee Break

15:30 – 16:30 PANEL THREE: SIDS, Governance and Power [Chair: Edwin Laurent]
Sindra Sharma, Ramphal Institute – ‘Agriculture and the COPs’
Emily Wilkinson, ODI, ‘Historical Drivers of Risk in Dominica’
Kasia Mika, KITLV/University of Amsterdam – ‘Slow Healing: Beyond Vulnerable States and Resilient Selves’

16:30 – 16:40 Concluding Remarks – Ilan Kelman, UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, Institute
for Global Health and Global Governance Institute

16:40 Wine Reception and networking

We wish to acknowledge our gratitude to UCL’s Institute of Advanced Studies, Institute of the Americas,
and Global Governance Institute who are funding this event

Institute of Advanced Studies, UCL The Ramphal Institute

Institute of the Americas, UCL Global Governance Institute, UCL

Convenors
Kate Quinn, Institute of the Americas, UCL
Edwin Laurent, the Ramphal Institute, KCL
Ilan Kelman, UCL IRDR, Global Health and GGI