As global leaders and stakeholders gather to address one of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges, a small Caribbean nation has secured a critical leadership position to lift up the unique concerns of climate-vulnerable small island states. At the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), Karomo Browne, Agricultural Diversification Officer of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has been appointed Vice President of the session’s Bureau, marking a major step forward for the Caribbean region’s influence in global land and drought resilience policy.
The appointment was announced in an official press release from the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), which outlines that the role places Browne on the conference’s core steering and executive body. In this capacity, he will work alongside the session President to guide the two-week conference’s proceedings, maintain balanced regional representation across all deliberations, chair meetings when required, and support intersessional work and post-conference follow-up initiatives.
For St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), this leadership appointment is far more than a ceremonial role. PISLM emphasizes that it opens a formal, high-level platform to center island-specific challenges in international conversations addressing land degradation, drought preparedness, sustainable land stewardship, and climate-driven ecological pressures. Caribbean SIDS face disproportionate risk from these issues, despite contributing a tiny fraction of global emissions that drive climate change, making targeted representation critical to equitable global action.
“This is the perfect opportunity to ensure that the voices of Caribbean SIDS are heard,” Browne stated in response to his appointment. “Small island developing states face unique vulnerabilities, and our perspectives must be reflected in decisions that shape global action on land, drought and resilience.”
Hosted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, UNCCD COP17 runs from August 17 to 28, 2026, under the overarching theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” The conference convenes a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, including national government delegations, civil society organizations, independent researchers, youth advocates, Indigenous Peoples communities, pastoralist groups, smallholder farmers, and other affected actors. Together, attendees are working to co-develop practical, actionable solutions to reverse desertification, curb widespread land degradation, and build more effective drought resilience around the world.
Throughout his term as Bureau Vice President, Browne is tasked with upholding inclusive, transparent, action-focused discussions while consistently elevating the specific circumstances of Caribbean SIDS and other vulnerable regions. Key priorities on the conference agenda that align with Caribbean priorities include strengthening global and local food security, supporting vulnerable community livelihoods, improving water system resilience to drought, and advancing widespread adoption of sustainable land management practices.