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MSF urges policymakers to extend protected status for Haitians in the US

NEW YORK, April 23, 2026 – As the US Supreme Court prepares to hear a case affecting the legal status of many Haitians in the US, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is warning that humanitarian conditions in Haiti have deteriorated severely in recent years, including access to medical care, endangering anyone forced to return.

“Haiti has become a far more dangerous place to live, work or seek medical care,” Tirana Hassan, CEO of MSF USA, said today. “Over the last eight years, Port-au-Prince and other regions including the Artibonite and Centre departments have fallen into severe humanitarian crises, with extreme insecurity and a steep decline in essential services including water, sanitation and medical care. Armed groups are continually battling the government and its supporters for territorial control. Residents are subjected to violence on all sides, caught in the crossfire, killed at checkpoints or attacked in their homes.”

More than 350,000 Haitians currently live in the US under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a humanitarian program that allows people from designated countries to live and work in the US.  Haitians were eligible for TPS due to a series of severe crises and instability in the country in recent years. The Trump administration is reviewing or terminating protections for several countries with ongoing humanitarian crises and officially ended TPS designation for Haiti in February, but lower courts temporarily blocked this termination. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives has also voted to extend TPS for three years, and the bill has not yet advanced in the Senate.

Now, in a case scheduled to go before the Supreme Court on April 29, Trump v. Miot, the administration is expected defend its efforts to end TPS, based in part on its arguments that conditions in Haiti are safe enough for people to return.

Yet nothing could be further from the reality that MSF teams witness in Haiti every day. Since violence escalated in early 2024, more than 60 percent of medical facilities in Port-au-Prince have been closed or are only partly functioning. Some have been looted, burned and abandoned, while others face critical shortages of supplies, medicines or staff. Many people are too afraid to seek health care, even if they have an urgent need.

In the past week alone, extremely violent fighting has broken out between several rival armed groups in two neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes in the middle of the night in torrential rain.

“Over the weekend of April 18 and 19, members of our staff called us to say they were trapped in their homes due to the gunfire and had no way to escape,” said Davina Hayles, MSF head of mission in Haiti. “Nearly 40 people, including MSF staff members accompanied by their families, came to seek refuge in our hospital in Cité Soleil, having nowhere else safe to go.”

More than 1.4 million people have fled their homes because of violence in Haiti and are sheltering in other locations across the country, according to UN estimates, in areas without adequate medical care or other essential services. Groups of families are sharing single rooms in public buildings such as schools or living in makeshift camps. MSF teams running mobile clinics see a rise in conditions that are linked to the lack of clean water.

Highlights

• The secured pipeline of installation work is $63.2 million, up 26.9% from Q2 ($49.8 million) and up 24% from Q1 ($36.6 million)
• Unaudited operating cashflow from operations before one-off transaction costs was $7.7m for the quarter, up +14.5% on Q3 FY25. Cash in the bank of $38.2m
• Group EBITDA is performing to plan, and guidance is reaffirmed ($43-47m before the addition of Tyco NZ)
• The Tyco acquisition (refer to 11th Dec 2025 ASX announcement) is expected to settle at the end of May as legal and financial conditions precedent are completed by the seller. Proforma* EPSa post-acquisition is reaffirmed >$0.0625cps
• The company announces the appointment of a new CFO. Oliver Elsdon starts with the business on 27th April. Jason Biddell will take on a new role of Chief Strategy Officer.

Intelligent Monitoring Group Managing Director Dennison Hambling, commented:

“I am happy with the progress the business continues to make. The underlying organic growth of the business has sat around 8% for the past 3 halves and we see this continuing and accelerating in an environment where advanced electronic security solutions, including remote security guarding, are only becoming more important and relevant.

We look forward to settling the Tyco NZ business in May and settling into a year of good organic growth in FY27.”

About Intelligent Monitoring Group Limited

Intelligent Monitoring Group Limited (ASX: IMB) helps provide monitored security and IOT solutions that ensure the safety and protection of Australian businesses, homes, and individuals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Company operates with the highest security accreditation from its two-significant monitoring centres.

For more information please visit: https://intelligentmonitoringgroup.com

24 April 2026 – Commonwealth Bank has deployed an advanced agentic AI system designed to help detect emerging fraud and scam patterns in transaction and payments data and generate the rules needed to help intercept them.

The investment is part of CommBank’s $1 billion annual commitment to help safeguard customers from fraud, scams, cyber threats and financial crime.

CommBank has a range of AI capabilities embedded in its advanced fraud protection systems, which monitor more than 80 million signals each day, including transactions, card and online payments and interactions with digital banking channels.

Executive General Manager of Fraud and Scams, James Roberts, said the agent builds on these foundations and helps improve the bank’s ability to respond rapidly to evolving threats.

“When suspicious patterns are identified, the system quickly assesses their severity, analyses context, and proposes new detection rules to help intercept them. The new agent goes beyond traditional AI by not only rapidly identifying new threats but also determining how it can seek to disrupt them,” Mr Roberts said.

“The agent operates around the clock, continuously monitoring activity and adapting to emerging threats.”

Mr Roberts said new detection rules are reviewed and approved by CommBank’s fraud analytics team prior to implementation, a process known as human-in-the-loop oversight.

Each day, CommBank processes more than 20 million payments on average and sends more than 40,000 proactive warning alerts on average to customers via the CommBank app. The bank’s fraud detection technology has played a role in helping to reduce fraud losses by over 20% in the first half of the 2026 financial year compared to the first half of the 2025 financial year.

The agent has also contributed to developing or updating three quarters of CommBank’s card fraud rules, which are used to identify potential fraud.

“The technology allows us to identify unusual events in highly complex patterns of activity at far greater speed and scale, helping us detect emerging threats sooner and update our controls faster,” Mr Roberts said.

CommBank’s in-house data science and engineering teams developed the system in three months, with ongoing testing demonstrating strong fraud detection outcomes.

The initiative is part of CommBank’s strategy to embed advanced AI into core operations and enhance customer outcomes. It reinforces CommBank’s position among the top four banks globally for AI maturity in the 2025 Evident AI Index.

 AI models used across the bank are governed by CommBank’s risk management frameworks and policies, with clear human accountability for outcomes.

The system is built on Snowflake’s data cloud and powered by CommBank’s cloud-based core banking platform, enabling enhanced reliability and seamless access to rich, real-time data to support advanced AI capabilities.

April 22 2026 – Digital nomads are losing up to €3,000 a year through hidden foreign exchange costs, reveals deVere Group, following a sharp rise in the use of multicurrency cards by globally mobile professionals.

Digital nomads – professionals who work remotely while living across multiple countries – now number an estimated 40–50 million worldwide, reflecting a rapid and sustained shift in how people earn and spend across borders.

Growth is being reinforced by remote working trends and government-backed visa programmes such as the Portugal Digital Nomad Visa, Spain Digital Nomad Visa and the Dubai Virtual Working Programme, with increased adoption of multicurrency cards, such as deVere Vault, reflecting how financial behaviour is evolving alongside this trend.

Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, says: “As this cohort of workers expands, so does exposure to foreign exchange costs, often in ways that are not immediately visible.

“Many digital nomads are paid in one currency, hold savings in another, and spend across several more.

“Traditional debit and credit cards, built around a single base currency, typically convert transactions automatically at the point of sale, applying foreign exchange spreads that commonly range between 2% and 3%, and in some cases higher once fees are included.”

For individuals spending €3,000 to €5,000 a month internationally, that equates to €60 to €150 lost every month purely through conversion. Over a year, that rises to €720 to €1,800 – before accounting for additional frictions.

Those frictions are significant. Double conversions — where income, account base and spending currency differ — can apply multiple FX spreads to a single transaction. Recurring payments for subscriptions and professional services, often billed in foreign currencies, create constant low-level leakage.

Converting funds at the point of transaction also removes any ability to manage timing in volatile currency markets.

“Taken together, these factors can push total annual losses towards €3,000.

“This is a structural inefficiency. People are earning in one currency and spending across several, using tools that were never designed for that reality.

“The costs are incremental, but they're relentless.”

Longer stays across multiple countries are intensifying the effect. Digital nomads are increasingly living across jurisdictions for extended periods, with spending spread across currencies on a daily basis, rather than concentrated into short-term travel.

This is driving a shift in behaviour.

Nigel Green comments: “We're seeing a move from passive spending to active currency management.

“It's our experience that people are increasingly questioning how their money is being converted and what it is costing them over periods of time.”

The trend, says deVere Group, one of the world's largest independent financial advisory and asset management organisations, is reflected in rising demand over the last 12 months for its multicurrency card, deVere Vault, a prepaid Mastercard® multicurrency card that enables users to hold balances in multiple currencies and spend globally.

By allowing users to spend directly from pre-held currency balances, rather than converting at the point of transaction, multicurrency cards reduce repeated FX charges and give users greater control over how and when exchanges take place.

“As digital nomadism continues to expand, the financial implications of living and working across currencies are becoming harder to ignore.

“For a growing segment of the global workforce, managing foreign exchange efficiently is moving from a secondary consideration to a core part of everyday financial decision-making,” concludes the deVere CEO.

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

Curtin University has appointed global tech industry leader Carl Solder as Adjunct Professor in a move designed to fast-track innovation and develop the next generation of tech talent.

Mr Solder – the Chief Technology Officer of Cisco Australia and New Zealand – brings a wealth of global expertise to Curtin following a 40-year career in Australia, New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific region, and the United States, including 19 years in Silicon Valley.

While employed in the US, Mr Solder worked within Cisco’s core engineering teams, playing a pivotal role in the development of groundbreaking enterprise, data centre and cloud networking products.

His work has been instrumental in shaping the digital infrastructure for many of the world’s Fortune 500 companies, placing him at the forefront of the world’s technology sector.

At Curtin, Mr Solder will mentor students, deliver specialised seminars and provide students with unique insights into the practical application of networking technologies and the strategic leadership required to succeed in the global tech industry.

Mr Solder said becoming an Adjunct Professor was not only a “profound honour” but also a “full-circle moment”, after completing his undergraduate degree at Curtin in 1984.

Europe leads global holiday-home markets for High-Net-Worth Individuals, new Global Citizen Solutions briefing finds.

• Lifestyle, stability, and ownership conditions — not returns alone — define top-performing markets
• Southern Europe combines high appreciation with lifestyle appeal, while alpine markets anchor long-term value preservation
• Japan and New Zealand play targeted roles, from diversification to low-volatility hold.

London – 22 April 2026 – Global Citizen Solutions (“GCS”), a leading residency and citizenship planning advisory firm, has published a new briefing Best Places to Own a Holiday Home as a HNWI: The Lifestyle Lens ranking 20 global markets across three weighted pillars – Prime Property, Lifestyle & Desirability, and Accessibility – and finding that seven of the top ten holiday home destinations for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are European.

The briefing’s assessment of 20 established global markets, each represented by flagship luxury holiday home destinations, uses comparable indicators to show that the strongest-performing locations in the sample are those where lived experience, ownership conditions, and investment fundamentals align across the three pillars.

The concentration of top-ranked markets in Europe reflects a combination of climate, luxury infrastructure, institutional stability, and ownership conditions that are not easily replicated elsewhere. As Global Citizen Solutions’ CEO, Patricia Casaburi, notes: “Europe’s dominance here is structural rather than incidental. The leading markets share a rare alignment of climate, luxury infrastructure, safety, and ownership conditions that continue to make the continent appealing to lifestyle-driven buyers.”

Spain is the only market in the ranking where top-tier capital appreciation (12.5% annually) and the highest quality-of-life score in the entire dataset (84.8) are achieved simultaneously. Portugal’s southern coast, the Algarve, records the highest annual appreciation of any market in the ranking at 17.7%, alongside sustained top-quartile safety performance and institutional quality. Both markets illustrate the briefing’s central finding: top destinations are defined not by leading in one measure alone, but by strong performance across all three pillars.

France achieves the maximum luxury infrastructure score in the dataset, suggesting that cultural cachet can sustain demand even where appreciation is modest. Italy, meanwhile, is priced at less than a third of Monaco’s entry point and under half of France’s, offering access to a comparable prestige tier at a lower cost — a proposition grounded in heritage and long-term holding rather than short-term returns. Both markets confirm that for a significant portion of HNWI buyers, irreplaceable cultural property constitutes a distinct and durable form of value.

The briefing also identifies a divide within the top ten. Southern European markets — including Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy — are geared towards experience, with higher market appreciation, greater solar exposure, and intensive seasonal use. Alpine markets, by contrast, lean towards permanence: multi-generational holding, tightly controlled supply, and long-term value preservation. Austria and Switzerland share the joint-highest safety score in the dataset, though Austria carries materially lighter foreign ownership restrictions, making it the more accessible alpine option for international buyers.

The United States leads in air connectivity by a considerable margin, and on the highest entry price in the top ten, underscoring its position as a global hub status for access and liquidity. The remaining two non-European entries in the top ten serve distinct purposes. Niseko, Japan — the sole Asia-Pacific market in the ranking — functions as a high-quality alpine destination and portfolio diversification option, its recent boom driven by significant foreign direct investment. New Zealand’s Queenstown represents the stability play: the only destination combining a high safety score in the dataset (comparable to Portugal and alpine options) with sub-1% annual appreciation, suited to buyers whose primary rationale is security over rapid returns.

GCS’ Global Intelligence Unit Researcher, Liana Simonyan adds: “Using a three-pillar framework, this index ranks twenty prime markets, deliberately weighting lifestyle and desirability above property fundamentals — a methodological choice grounded in how high-net-worth individuals actually experience their second homes.”

To read the full briefing, visit: https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/briefing/best-places-to-own-a-holiday-home-as-a-hnwi/

About the Briefing

The briefing is structured around three pillars: Prime Property (40%), Lifestyle & Desirability (45%), and Accessibility (15%). The higher weighting of the lifestyle pillar reflects the research’s central premise: for HNWIs, lived experience can be as important as financial considerations. All indicators are normalised for comparability, and a geopolitical risk adjustment is applied as a final overlay. The briefing also introduces four buyer typologies — the Conspicuous Investor, Patrimonial Buyer, Portfolio Allocator, and Amenity Migrant — providing a behavioural lens for interpreting the results. As of 2026, second-home ownership represents 28% of global luxury property transactions (Sotheby’s International Realty, 2026).

About Global Citizen Solutions

Global Citizen Solutions is a leading residency and citizenship planning advisory firm, helping high-net-worth clients and their families secure greater control over where they can live, travel, do business, and operate across jurisdictions.

New quarterly barometer to track how Australian businesses are influenced by and manage changes in foreign exchange markets.

22 April 2026 – Australian corporates are demonstrating high rates of hedging as they seek to manage business and investment risks amid elevated uncertainty, according to the inaugural CommBank FX Barometer.

Drawing on a quarterly survey of around 1,000 Australian-based corporates and superannuation funds exposed to foreign currency markets in their operations, the report provides insights into their forex expectations, exposures, and hedging behaviour.

The April CommBank FX Barometer survey was conducted between 16 February, prior to the start of the Iran war, and 10 April, shortly after a ceasefire was announced.

The data highlights elevated hedging activity by corporates, brought on by the uncertainty the conflict has provoked. The report shows importers are hedging around 80 per cent of their currency exposures. Exporters that hedge cover 86 per cent, indicating a selective approach to lock in dips in the Australian dollar amid heightened global uncertainty. By contrast, businesses that both import and export are hedging around two-thirds of exposures, reflecting partial natural offsets.

Corporate profits are highly exposed to the AUD

The hedging behaviours of Australian businesses show company profits are highly exposed to movements in the Australian dollar, with smaller businesses more vulnerable to adverse currency movements compared to their larger counterparts.

The CommBank FX Barometer found that more than 80 per cent of importers expect profits to fall. Those that expect a decline see profits sliding by an average of 6.8 per cent following a 10 per cent decline in AUD/USD. Meanwhile a similar share of exporters expect profits to rise, with expectations of an average of 7.9 per cent uplift.

CommBank Economist and Currency Strategist Carol Kong said the results highlighted the importance of hedging currency risk to protect against market movements.

“The CommBank FX Barometer shows changes in AUD/USD can have a large impact on profits and capital spending plans, highlighting the important role of hedging currency risk to help protect against unfavourable moves in currencies,” Kong said.

The CommBank FX Barometer also demonstrates clear differences in hedging behaviour by business size. Almost all large corporates with turnover above $A725m currently hedge their currency exposure, compared to 54 per cent of businesses with turnover of $5m to $20m.

“Large businesses hedge around 80 per cent of their currency exposures, while smaller businesses hedge around 53 per cent, highlighting the higher exposure of smaller businesses to unfavourable currency movements,” Kong added.

Super funds’ hedge ratios vary widely by asset

When it comes to super funds, the CommBank FX Barometer shows that they hedge three-quarters or more of their foreign property and infrastructure assets. This compares to assets like foreign private equity and hedge funds, where hedging levels are below one-third.

The report found that more than 80 per cent of super funds plan to increase their exposure to foreign exchange in the next three months. Among this group, the average planned increase is 13.6 per cent. No super funds surveyed expect to decrease their foreign exchange exposure.

CommBank Head of FX, International & Geo-economics Joseph Capurso said the findings highlighted significant variation in the way super funds hedge foreign assets, with higher hedge ratios in core asset classes and lower coverage in alternatives.

“The CommBank FX Barometer shows significant variation in hedging ratios across super funds’ foreign assets. The core of these portfolios – listed equities and fixed income – have hedge ratios of around one-half and two-thirds, respectively,” Capurso said.

“By contrast, investments in private equity and hedge funds are much more exposed to currency moves, with hedge ratios below 30 per cent.

“Looking ahead, almost 90 per cent of super funds expect to increase their hedge ratios in the next three months. Hedge ratios are expected to rise across all asset classes, particularly private credit, private equity and hedge funds,” he said.

Australian dollar expected to stay above 0.70

The CommBank FX Barometer found that super funds expect the Australian dollar to trade near $US0.71 by year-end, while corporates are slightly more optimistic, forecasting it to finish closer to $US0.72.

“The CommBank FX Barometer shows both corporates and super funds expect the Australian dollar to end the year near current levels, around 0.71 to 0.72,” Capurso said.

“Nevertheless, Australian businesses may be caught out by a lower Australian dollar driven by ‘US exceptionalism’, including the artificial intelligence boom, as well as the Iran war.

“The stark differences in hedging suggest larger businesses are better protected than smaller businesses if the dollar falls,” he said.

You can read the full CommBank FX Barometer here: https://www.commbankresearch.com.au/apex/researcharticleviewv2?id=a0NOa00000Jeh1h

Key facts:

PWDA launches Reasonable. Necessary. Ordinary. campaign to oppose expected NDIS spending cuts in upcoming Federal Budget
Campaign emphasises NDIS funding supports basic daily living needs and contributes $2.25 to economy for every dollar invested
NDIS enables participants to work, study and participate in community life, with 42% reporting improved life satisfaction
Organisation warns cuts will shift pressure onto families, aged care, hospitals and crisis systems, while $60 million was spent fighting participants through tribunals in 2024-25
PWDA calls for government to protect necessary supports, prevent eligibility cuts and focus on fixing system inefficiencies rather than reducing access

PWDA has launched a national campaign warning that expected reductions to NDIS growth will cut access to the supports people with disability rely on to live everyday life.

The “Reasonable. Necessary. Ordinary.” campaign, comes ahead of the Federal Budget, where the Albanese Government will further tighten NDIS spending.

PWDA President Jeramy Hope said the debate about the NDIS had drifted away from what it actually funds.

“I rely on about 25 to 30 hours of support each week. That support is not a luxury. It is what allows me to work, spend time with my family and stay out of hospital,” Mr Hope said.

“Without those supports, there is no me as people currently know me. No work. No ability to contribute. Less time with my family. Less stability. Less hope.”

Mr Hope said the language of “reducing growth” obscures the real impact of policy decisions.

“When governments talk about reducing growth, they are talking about cutting the supports people rely on to live ordinary lives. For people like me, the NDIS is what allows us to get out of bed, shower safely and be part of our communities.”

PWDA Acting CEO Megan Spindler-Smith said the campaign centres the everyday experiences of NDIS participants to show what is at stake.

“The NDIS does not fund extras. It funds the supports people need to live,” Mx Spindler-Smith said.

“For some, that is specialist training to safely leave the house. For others, it is support workers who make it possible to study, work and contribute to the economy. For many, it is basic assistance with meals, mobility and daily function.

“These are reasonable and necessary supports. They make ordinary life possible.”

PWDA has emphasised the scheme delivers both social and economic value.

“The NDIS is essential social infrastructure. It allows people with disability to live, work and participate in our communities,” Mx Spindler-Smith said.

“It returns $2.25 to the Australian economy for every dollar invested, and participants report a 42 per cent improvement in life satisfaction.”

PWDA rejected the framing of growth as the core problem.

“The NDIS was always going to grow. It is growing because more people are finally getting access to support that was denied for decades,” Mx Spindler-Smith said.

“Calling that growth unsustainable and cutting it is not a neutral budget decision. It is a cut to supports that shifts pressure onto families, aged care, hospitals and crisis systems,” Mx Spindler-Smith said.

PWDA has pointed to evidence of harm when supports are reduced or delayed.

“In 2024–25, $60 million was spent fighting participants through the Administrative Review Tribunal instead of funding their supports,” Mx Spindler-Smith said.

“We are seeing people deteriorate, being injured and, in some cases, dying. Deaths like Noah Johnston and Koa Gibson are the consequences of a system under strain.”

PWDA is calling for more attention on the impact of the scheme when it works, including a reduction in the number of younger people with disability living in aged care from more than 7,000 before the NDIS to 829 as of September 2025.

Mr Hope said the focus of reform should be on fixing system failures, not reducing access to support.

“There are pressures in the NDIS, and they are real,” he said.

“But they are coming from bureaucracy, delays and poor decision-making, not from people getting the support they need to live.

“The NDIS works. I am living proof of that.”

PWDA is calling on the Australian Government to protect access to reasonable and necessary supports, rule out blanket caps and eligibility cuts, commit to co-design, and focus reform on fixing system inefficiencies.

People with disability, families and allies can take action, including signing the petition at pwd.org.au/stopNDIScuts.

People with Disability Australia (PWDA), is a national disability rights and advocacy organisation led by, and for, people with all kinds of disability. We are a non-profit, non-government organisation and our membership is made up of people with disability and organisations mainly constituted by people with disability.

https://www.pwd.org.au

The ongoing Middle East conflict is adding fresh pressure to the economic outlook of Asia and the Pacific, disrupting energy and commodity markets, and trade and connectivity routes at a time of already high global economic uncertainty, according to a new United Nations report.

The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2026, released by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), highlights that rising energy and food prices, along with weaker global demand, are dimming economic growth prospects and increasing the cost of living across the region.

Low-skilled workers and low-income households are particularly vulnerable, as they are more exposed to rising living costs and have limited access to social protection.

High public debt vulnerabilities and likely increase in interest rates due to higher inflation expectations may constrain the ability of governments to respond to the latest economic shocks.

“Policymakers are navigating rising global trade protectionism, economic policy uncertainty and geo-economic fragmentation. Their eventual impact would be disproportionate for countries with smaller room for policy support and for people having limited access to social protection,” underscored Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

Shifting towards more resilient economic growth    

ESCAP projects, under considerable uncertainty, developing economies in the region to grow by 4.0% in 2026 on average, down from 4.6% in 2025, and inflation to rise to 4.6% in 2026 on average, up from 3.5% in 2025, reversing recent gains in inflation stability. Despite this moderation, the region is expected to remain the fastest-growing developing region globally.

However, sustaining this performance will require a gradual shift from a primarily export-driven growth approach towards stronger domestic and regional sources of demand. Key priorities in this vein include boosting productivity, expanding social protection, improving access to finance, and strengthening digital and physical connectivity across the region. Deeper regional cooperation will be critical to offset the effects of global economic fragmentation.

Aligning energy transition, climate goals with economic policy

The ongoing global energy crisis is yet another wakeup call for Asia and the Pacific to strengthen energy resilience, including through homegrown renewable energy. An energy transition could help reverse years of regression in Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action.

“This is especially critical today, as we witness in real time the effects of a dependence on fossil fuels, where every conflict risks sending shockwaves through the global economy,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

However, the report cautions that transition policies must be carefully designed to avoid unintended socio-economic consequences. Measures to reduce reliance on fossil fuel, expand renewable energy and improve energy efficiency could increase inflation, weaken fiscal positions, increase poverty and widen income inequality, if not implemented in a calibrated and consultative manner.

The report also finds that economic policy issues are still only weakly integrated into most national transition strategies. Policy choices will need to reflect country-specific conditions. A gradual fossil fuel subsidy cut would help cushion people's purchasing power, especially where fiscal support to mitigate higher energy prices is constrained.

Meanwhile, countries with deeper financial markets can mobilize private capital for green investment. Many least developed countries and small island developing States will require stronger international support to ensure access to affordable and reliable energy.

Political economy insights can further support these efforts, according to the 2026 Survey. For example, governments can time energy transition when political popularity is high, while creating new beneficiaries in renewable energy sectors to endure reform.

The report also highlights how behavioral insights can boost policy uptake, such as increasing adoption of low-carbon technologies through peer comparisons or improving public acceptance of carbon pricing when revenues are used transparently and equitably.

Read the full report: https://www.unescap.org/kp/2026/survey2026

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the most inclusive intergovernmental platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The Commission promotes cooperation among its member States and associate members in pursuit of solutions to sustainable development challenges. ESCAP is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations.
 

20 April 2026; GRAN CANARIA – With attendance approaching 500, participants and speakers have gathered in Gran Canaria for the Global Sustainable Islands Summit (GSIS), taking place this week from 20–22 April.

The Summit, hosted by Island Innovation and the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, comes to the region for the first time after previous editions including Saint Kitts & Nevis (Caribbean) and Prince Edward Island (Canada). The Summit convenes ministers, senior policymakers, development finance representatives, and technical experts from island jurisdictions across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Latin America and will focus on practical approaches for island governments and institutions to strengthen coordination for sustainable economic development.

Speaking on Gran Canaria’s role as host, Raul García Brink, Councillor for Environment, Climate, Energy, and Knowledge of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria said:

“Gran Canaria is proud to host the Global Sustainable Islands Summit and to contribute to strengthening collaboration between island regions worldwide. Islands are uniquely positioned to lead on energy transition, innovation, and climate resilience, and this Summit reinforces our commitment to turning that potential into practical outcomes.”

The GSIS 2026 edition is supported by a broad ecosystem of partners contributing expertise across key areas of island transition, including energy and water systems, circular economy and resource efficiency, tourism and regional development, and education and research. These include Turismo de Gran Canaria, Sociedad de Promoción Económica de Gran Canaria (SPEGC), Energía Solar Canarias, Indoor Vertical.Farm, Canaragua, PreZero, Jointhepipe, EWaste and the Edge Foundation.

Commenting on the Summit, James Ellsmoor, CEO of Island Innovation, said: “The Global Sustainable Islands Summit has become an important convening point for island governments, institutions, and delivery partners working on shared sustainability challenges. It provides a space where policy, finance, and practical implementation can come together, and where island-led solutions can be developed and scaled in a coordinated way.

”Government and Institutional Participation The Summit will also serve as the platform for the official launch of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund (VICCTF). During a dedicated session on Tuesday 21 April, Deputy Premier and Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Hon. Julian Fraser, RA, will formally launch the Fund.

This marks a significant milestone as the Fund enters its operational phase, with over US$5.5 million secured and ready to begin financing climate resilience projects across the Territory. The Fund has been established to address the persistent barriers that Overseas Territories face in accessing international climate finance, offering a practical, locally governed mechanism to mobilise and deploy funding where it is most needed. Geothermal Energy in Focus

GSIS will once again feature the Geothermal Energy Forum, supported by partners including the International Geothermal Association, providing a reference point for discussions on system design, financing models, and delivery challenges associated with baseload renewable energy in island contexts.

The forum will include participation from a high-level Caribbean delegation engaged under the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, bringing together ministers, utility leaders, and regional institutions to advance cooperation on geothermal development, investment alignment, and energy system integration in island contexts.

Following a surface exploration campaign, the Gran Canaria Geotermia consortium, working with Spain’s national energy programme (IDAE) and technical partner JRG Energy (New Zealand) will begin exploratory drilling at approximately 2,700 metres in late 2026 to assess the viability of geothermal resources for energy generation.

Blue Innovation and Emerging Solutions A key moment of the Summit will be the Blue-Tech Innovation Showcase, highlighting technologies and projects already in deployment or approaching scale across island contexts.

The Showcase will feature emerging innovation pipelines from the Mediterranean, including the EU-funded MED-Hubs Acceleration Programme, which supports startups working in marine renewable energy, sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, smart ports, and green maritime transport. The Med-Hubs include MALTAccelerate, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Venice Lagoon Plastic Free, ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy, and Justonearth.

About GSIS

The Global Sustainable Islands Summit is an international platform designed to strengthen coordination between island governments, institutions, and implementation partners. It focuses on supporting the translation of policy priorities into deliverable projects by aligning expertise, finance, and governance systems across sectors and regions.

About Island Innovation

Island Innovation is a global platform that enables coordination, decision-making and implementation pathways across island governments, institutions and partners. Recognising that authority, finance and expertise are often fragmented across systems, Island Innovation works to align actors and accelerate practical progress through high-level convenings, strategic communications and capacity-building initiatives.

More information: www.gsis.islandinnovation.co