H.E. Mr. Aiyaz Sayed- Khaiyum
Attorney-General, Minister for Economy and Minister responsible for climate change, Fiji
Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is the Fijian Attorney-General, Minister for Economy and Minister responsible for climate change.
He has spearheaded Fiji’s push to allow nations to access adequate levels of funding – on the basis of vulnerability – to adapt their economies to climate impacts. His driving philosophy, that development finance equates to climate finance, has placed Fiji at the forefront of developing partnerships with the private sector to develop finance solutions, including insurance, to build climate resilience. He has also advocated for coordinated multilateral action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as emergency measures to inject crisis funding into highly vulnerable economies.
He led Fiji’s delegation to the COP23 negotiations, where Fiji served as COP23 President. He serves as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Adaptation where he is co-chair of the “expand climate-resilient fiscal tools” initiative. He is also the current Chair of the World Bank Group’s Small States Forum and a panelist of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Environment of Peace 2022.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum oversaw the creation of the climate change division in the Ministry of Economy to mainstream the critical issue in national planning; public financing and policy decisions. He also led the Fijian effort, with assistance from the International Finance Corporation, to launch Fiji’s Green Bond, the first sovereign Green Bond by an emerging market.
He has spearheaded Fiji’s push to allow nations to access adequate levels of funding – on the basis of vulnerability – to adapt their economies to climate impacts. His driving philosophy, that development finance equates to climate finance, has placed Fiji at the forefront of developing partnerships with the private sector to develop finance solutions, including insurance, to build climate resilience. He has also advocated for coordinated multilateral action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as emergency measures to inject crisis funding into highly vulnerable economies.
He led Fiji’s delegation to the COP23 negotiations, where Fiji served as COP23 President. He serves as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Adaptation where he is co-chair of the “expand climate-resilient fiscal tools” initiative. He is also the current Chair of the World Bank Group’s Small States Forum and a panelist of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Environment of Peace 2022.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum oversaw the creation of the climate change division in the Ministry of Economy to mainstream the critical issue in national planning; public financing and policy decisions. He also led the Fijian effort, with assistance from the International Finance Corporation, to launch Fiji’s Green Bond, the first sovereign Green Bond by an emerging market.