Three years ago, Caribbean nations were barely visible on the floor of the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as delegates gathered in London to negotiate landmark rules for global maritime decarbonisation. Today, that picture looks drastically different. The region’s voice has grown from an afterthought to a critical, influential presence in shaping the IMO’s flagship climate policy, the Net-Zero Framework (NZF) – and as final negotiations heat up this year, the Caribbean holds four key levers to ensure the final agreement works for vulnerable coastal economies.
When Kerrlene Wills, a seasoned maritime, climate and trade strategist with deep Caribbean policy experience, first joined these IMO negotiations in 2022, she was struck by the region’s absence. Given the Caribbean’s profound dependence on global shipping for trade, essential goods delivery, and economic survival, the outcomes of these talks would reshape the region’s future – making it all the more urgent to carve out space for Caribbean priorities. What followed was three years of intensive collaborative work with local and regional partners, anchored by initiatives like the Caribbean Shipping Lanes (CSL) Project, which unites regional academic institutions and governing bodies to amplify a unified voice for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Skeptics argued a small island bloc could never move the needle on global climate negotiations, but today, Caribbean perspectives are front and center in NZF discussions.
With negotiations entering a critical final phase this year, Wills argues the Caribbean has a one-of-a-kind opportunity to refine the NZF to balance global decarbonization goals with the region’s unique economic and operational constraints. Drawing from years of on-the-ground work with regional governments, shipping operators and multilateral bodies, Wills outlines four core principles that must be embedded in the final framework to deliver a just, effective outcome.
First, the IMO must strengthen commitments to a Just and Equitable Transition (JET). Last year’s compromise two-tiered NZF structure shifts a disproportionate share of decarbonization costs onto ships operating in vulnerable markets like the Caribbean, forcing the vessels least equipped to adopt zero-emission technology to absorb the highest fees. Wills notes that the 2025 universal levy proposal backed by more than 50 nations offered a simpler, fairer model that required all ships to contribute equally. To correct the current imbalance, Wills argues, robust resourcing for JET is non-negotiable: developing nations like those in the Caribbean are already expected to contribute to the decarbonization system, so targeted funding is critical to address gaps in financing, infrastructure, technology, alternative fuel access and capacity that make decarbonization far more burdensome for emerging markets. Abandoning JET principles would undermine the entire framework’s commitment to deep global decarbonization.
Second, negotiators must implement a targeted support mechanism for regions with structurally constrained shipping networks. Caribbean shipping routes face unique operational barriers to decarbonization that are not reflected in the current NZF structure. The existing funding pool earmarked to support adoption of zero-emission fuels is already insufficient, and faces growing political pressure to shrink further. Wills rejects the false choice between lowering global decarbonization ambition and addressing Caribbean needs: watering down the framework to preserve the status quo defeats the purpose of a global climate agreement. But she stresses that vulnerable regional stakeholders cannot be left to carry the heaviest burden. To keep the IMO’s promise that “no country is left behind”, Wills calls for guaranteed dedicated resourcing for constrained networks, plus targeted relief – such as emissions credits or simplified compliance rules – alongside direct financial and adjustment assistance for regions where transition capital and alternative fuels remain scarce.
Third, the framework must preserve clear economic incentives to reward genuine early movers in decarbonization. If shipping companies are expected to invest upfront in costly zero- and near-zero emission technologies, the policy must reward the risk of early innovation. While some NZF proposals grant transitional credit to LNG and other fossil fuel-based shipping pathways, Wills argues transitional status should not equal financial reward. Fossil fuel systems already benefit from substantial national government subsidies, so NZF funding should instead be directed to scaling the long-term zero-emission technologies and fuels needed to meet the agreement’s climate targets. While the bulk of funding should still go to supporting developing countries to overcome barriers to decarbonization, a targeted incentive system is critical to breaking the vicious cycle of high upfront costs, low private investment and limited alternative fuel access that holds back clean adoption in small regional markets.
Fourth and finally, the governance of NZF transition finance should include input from commercial shipping operators – but not cede full control to industry. Wills acknowledges the logic of giving shipowners a greater say in how funding is allocated: regional operators understand firsthand where infrastructure gaps and operational barriers exist for decarbonizing their fleets. But ultimately, the costs of decarbonization are passed on to consumers through freight rates, so public interests must be centered in financial governance. Wills supports a public-private hybrid model that gives shipowners meaningful input while retaining robust government oversight and public involvement in project design, ensuring financing tackles the immediate barriers to launching decarbonization projects across vulnerable regions.
Final decisions on the Net-Zero Framework are set to be made in December. Wills expresses hope that these four principles will guide negotiations toward a constructive outcome that centers Caribbean needs, ultimately delivering an agreement that protects the region’s economic interests, accelerates clean energy innovation, and delivers on the core goal of meaningful global emissions reductions.
About the author: Kerrlene Wills is a government affairs and geopolitical strategist specializing in maritime, climate and trade policy. A former Chargée d’Affaires for Guyana in Geneva, she has led CARICOM negotiations at the WTO and served as Director of Ocean and Climate at the UN Foundation, where she advanced shipping decarbonization across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. She most recently held the role of Director of Government and Community Affairs at Tropical Shipping, a major carrier connecting U.S. and Caribbean markets.