French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the summit in Paris, convening leaders from Africa and small island states, along with rich countries and financial institutions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also co-chairs a United Nations group advocating for the Sustainable Development Goals along with Barbadoes Prime Minister Mia Mottley. The pair have been pushing for international financing reform to help Caribbean states facing rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms.
"The message I kept hearing from my colleagues from civil society across the world, including from the Global South itself, was, 'Where is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?'" Brouillette said. The letter said developing countries should be able to see economic growth while lowering carbon emissions, instead of being left to face the brunt of climate change.
Guilbeault's office noted in a statement Ottawa's ongoing work on biodiversity and multilateral work to secure US$100 billion in financing for climate initiatives.