How parliaments can unlock climate finance for small island states

Attendess at the Green Investment Dialogue and National Capacity Building Workshop

Climate finance For Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is increasingly being shaped by parliamentary leadership and Seychelles put that to the test in late May. Climate Parliament and UNIDO organised the Green Investment Dialogue and National Capacity Building Workshop, hosted by the National Assembly of Seychelles. It brought together parliamentarians, government officials, private sector leaders and international partners to map out practical steps toward renewable energy deployment, climate-resilient infrastructure and climate finance.

Seychelles positions itself as a model for SIDS climate action

Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Azarel Ernesta, the first woman to hold the role, was direct about what she wanted from the workshop: implementation and measurable outcomes, not more discussion. Hon. Cecile Larsen, Chair of the Parliamentary Steering Committee, added that legislators have a specific and active role to play in driving Seychelles' green transition, not just in passing legislation but in shaping the conditions that make investment possible.

The parliamentary delegation reflected that seriousness. Led by Speaker Ernesta, it included Deputy Speaker Hon. Egbert Aglae, Leader of Government Business Hon. Sylvanne Lemiel and ten further members of the National Assembly, covering environment, finance and tourism.

The Green Energy Constituencies approach

A central focus was the Green Energy Constituencies model, developed through Climate Parliament and UNIDO's Parliamentary Climate Finance project. The approach connects national climate goals to constituency-level needs, giving individual legislators a direct stake in advancing renewable energy where they are elected to serve.

On 28 May, ahead of the main workshop, Barry Gardiner MP, Trustee of Climate Parliament met with Speaker Ernesta and members of the Committee on Environment, Fisheries and Tourism to explore how this model could work in Seychelles. Speaker Ernesta was clear that each constituency has its own circumstances and that any approach would need to start from there.

That theme continued in a separate meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Barry Faure, where discussions covered the progress of ongoing solar PV projects across Seychelles, the role parliamentary diplomacy can play in advancing climate goals and what regulatory conditions investors need to commit to green projects in small island states.

A new resource for climate-focused legislators

At the workshop the Parliamentary Climate Finance Knowledge and Resource Hub was also shared, this is a new practical platform covering climate policymaking, investment readiness and clean energy finance. Shannon Surman of Climate Parliament presented Speaker Ernesta with the Parliamentary Training Guide and Roadmap, giving the National Assembly concrete resources to take the work forward.

Lucy Pearson, Executive Director of Climate Parliament, spoke about the impact of the Parliamentary Climate Finance project across participating countries including Seychelles and what parliamentary engagement has produced on the ground.

Barry Gardiner MP drew on his experience in climate legislation and parliamentary leadership. Professor Aruna Sivakumar of Imperial College London contributed technical expertise on energy systems and what scaling renewable energy actually requires in island contexts. Dr. Laurent Sam, Climate Finance and Energy expert at UNIDO, walked through how climate finance mechanisms work in practice and what legislators can do to help their countries access them.

Strengthening the legislative framework

A clear outcome of the workshop was a shared commitment to strengthening Seychelles' legislative framework for climate investment. Participants looked at what legal and regulatory changes would make it easier to develop and finance renewable energy projects and how parliament can lead that process.

Building understanding of climate finance mechanisms

A recurring theme across both days was the gap between the availability of climate finance and the ability of small island states to access it. The workshop focused on building practical parliamentary understanding of the instruments involved, from green bonds to blended finance, so that legislators can engage meaningfully with funders and hold governments to account on how money is used.

Developing investment-ready projects

The third area for follow-up was developing a pipeline of projects that meet investor requirements while delivering real community-level resilience. For Seychelles that means moving from policy commitments toward projects with clear structures, viable business cases and the legislative backing investors need to feel confident. Renewable energy deployment, climate-resilient infrastructure and electric mobility were all identified as priorities.

What this means for climate finance in small island states

Climate Parliament has been working with parliaments across  Sub-Saharan Africa. build the legislative capacity needed to get climate projects financed and delivered. The Seychelles dialogue is part of that work. The strength of the delegation and the focus on practical outcomes rather than declarations suggest the National Assembly is approaching this as a long-term commitment rather than a one-off event.

For policymakers in other small island states, the approach Seychelles is taking is worth watching: anchor climate action in parliament, connect national targets to individual constituencies and give legislators the tools to engage credibly with investors and financing bodies.