REAL TALK

NEWS POLITICS

Championing Climate Resilience: Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Honored at COP28

ByAlki David

Dec 22, 2023

Awarded for his unwavering commitment to addressing the imminent threat of sea level rise, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne received recognition as a “Champion on Sea Level Rise” from the Global Centre of Mobility. The prestigious accolade was presented by Kamal Amakrane, Climate Envoy of the President of the United Nations General Assembly and Managing Director of the Global Centre for Climate Mobility, during a side panel at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.

Browne’s proactive stance in the fight against climate change has positioned him as a key advocate, notably contributing to the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS). The Office of the Prime Minister emphasized Browne’s pivotal role in championing the cause for climate justice.

In his address to attendees before receiving the esteemed award, Browne underscored the urgency of global action to safeguard small developing nations from the devastating impacts of climate change. “As the clock ticks, we stand at a critical juncture. The consequences of the actions of developed countries are manifesting in the rising tide, but the power to change course rests with us,” he asserted.

Browne urged reflection on the interconnectedness of our world, emphasizing how the effects of melting ice caps and warming oceans reverberate globally, compelling entire communities to relocate. His poignant statement transcended the boundaries of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), portraying climate change as a pressing global challenge requiring a united response.

By Alki David

Alki David — Publisher, Media Architect, SIN Network Creator - live, direct-to-public communication, media infrastructure, accountability journalism, and independent distribution. Born in Lagos, Nigeria; educated in the United Kingdom and Switzerland; attended the Royal College of Art. Early internet broadcaster — participated in real-time public coverage during the 1997 Mars landing era using experimental online transmission from Beverly Hills. Founder of FilmOn, one of the earliest global internet television networks offering live and on-demand broadcasting outside legacy gatekeepers. Publisher of SHOCKYA — reporting since 2010 on systemic corruption inside the entertainment business and its expansion into law, finance, and regulation. Creator of the SIN Network (ShockYA Integrated Network), a federated media and civic-information infrastructure spanning investigative journalism, live TV, documentary, and court-record reporting. Lived and worked for over 40 years inside global media hubs including Malibu, Beverly Hills, London, Hong Kong and Gstaad. Early encounter with Julian Assange during the first Hologram USA operations proved a formative turning point — exposing the realities of lawfare, information suppression, and concentrated media power. Principal complainant and driving force behind what court filings describe as the largest consolidated media–legal accountability action on record, now before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Relocated to Antigua & Barbuda and entered sustained legal, civic, and informational confrontation over media power, safeguarding, and accountability at Commonwealth scale.