SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES

The 43 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have stewardship over vast ocean areas, and are especially dependent on ocean resources. Although SIDS are some of the smallest contributors to global climate change, they are at the forefront of nations who will be most adversely impacted by rising sea level and changing temperatures. Many of these nations are having difficulty enforcing conservation policies and controlling development in their marine environment due to logistical and financial constraints which have worsened due to declines in overseas development assistance.

SIDS Rapid Assessments: Policy Analyses of Strategies for the Implementation of Ocean and Coastal Management Priorities in Three SIDS Regions

To assist in advancing implementation of the 2005 Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA), the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands organized rapid assessments in each of the SIDS regions. These assessments were designed at identifying specific steps which need to be taken in each region to implement, inter alia:
--The BPoA mandates on integrated coastal and ocean management
--Programs targeting the major new ocean and coasts issues identified in Mauritius
--Capacity building programs in ocean and coastal management at local SIDS universities.

Pacific Region
Contributors: Cristelle Pratt and Mary Power, South Pacific GeoScience Commission (SOPAC); Alf Simpson, Independent Consultant

Caribbean Region
Contributor: Franklin McDonald, United Nations Environment Programme

AIMS Region
Contributors: Nirmal Shah, Nature Seychelles and Marina N'Deye, Independent Consultant

SIDS Rapid Assessment Terms of Reference 

For additional information related the SIDS Rapid Assessments, see the Capacity Development page.

UNDESA Regional Workshops on Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy

In the fall of 2005, the United Nations Division on Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) held three regional meetings as follow-up on the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The Caribbean Regional Meeting was held October 5-7, 2005 in St. Kitts and Nevis, the Pacific Regional Meeting was held October17-19 in Samoa, and the AIMS Regional Meeting was held October 26-28, 2005 in the Seychelles. The SIDS Rapid Assessments organized by the global Forum were presented at these regional workshops. An inter-regional meeting, funded by the Italian government, was held in Rome in November 2005 to identify commonalities among the regions and discuss the way forward for rapid implementation of the Mauritius Strategy.

Caribbean Regional Meeting, October 5-7, 2005, St. Kitts and Nevis

Pacific Regional Meeting, October17-19, Samoa

AIMS Regional Meeting, October 26-28, 2005, Seychelles

Inter-regional Meeting, November 15-16, 2005, Rome, Italy

SIDS at the TOPS 2005 The Ocean Policy Summit, Lisbon, Portugal, October 10-14, 2005

A side meeting of SIDS participants was conducted to discuss implementation of the Mauritius Strategy on October 14, 2005 (see report of the meeting) 

An Oceans Strategy Workshop for SIDS, developing, and economies in transition countries was conducted on October 14, 2005 (please see the attached leaflet). 

In consultation with AOSIS, UNDESA, UNDOALOS, IW:LEARN, US NOAA Coastal Services Center, the International Ocean Institute, SOPAC, the World Bank, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Ocean Network (members of the Global Forum Capacity Building Task Force), the Workshop focused on:

1. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf delimitation and management
2. Multilateral Environmental Agreement negotiations (MEA)
3. Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA)

SIDS at the Third Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands, UNESCO, Paris, January 23-28, 2006

A Panel on the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for Small Island Developing States was held at the Third Global Conference to review progress achieved and obstacles faced in the implementation of ocean and coastal management goals and related targets from the 1994 BPOA and to review specific strategies for implementing the actions identified in the 2005 Mauritius International Meeting on January 25, 2006. An informal discussion was also conducted to provide more opportunity for in-depth discussion on the bottom-line assessment on progress of WSSD and BPOA targets.

Panel Report 
Discussion Group Report 

Mauritius International Meeting 2005

In 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders resolved to address the vulnerabilities faced by small island developing States "rapidly and in full" by 2015. At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, these concerns were highlighted and resulted in several partnerships to address the specific needs of small islands. In a follow-up to WSSD, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution (A/57/262), inter alia, called for a 10-year comprehensive review of the Barbados Program of Action at a high-level international meeting held in Mauritius in January 2005. A number of regional and inter-regional meetings were held to provide an opportunity for island nations and their partners to review progress and challenges and to begin talks on what can be achieved in Mauritius, as listed below.

Regional Preparatory Meetings
Pacific SIDS: Apia, Samoa - 4 to 8 August 2003
Caribbean SIDS: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - 6 to 9 October 2003
Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Seas SIDS: Praia, Cape Verde - 1 to 5 September 2003

Inter-regional Preparatory Meeting
All SIDS: Nassau, Bahamas - 26 to 30 January 2004
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development 12th Session
All UN Members States: UN Headquarters, New York - 19 to 30 April 2004
(Small Island Developing States Preparatory Committee - 14 to 16 April 2004)

Mauritius International Meeting Report

Global Forum Towards Mauritius 2005 Paper Series
The Global Forum has prepared a series of policy analyses on ocean and coastal management issues in SIDS presented at the Mauritius International Meeting. This work was sponsored by the UNEP/GPA.

Voluntary Partnership Initiatives from the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and Small Island Developing States Toward Mauritius 2005 Paper Series No. 2003-1 

Iniciativas de Asociación Voluntarias Derivadas de la Cumbre Mundial 2002 sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible y los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo Toward Mauritius 2005 Paper Series No. 2004-1 

Global Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Small Island Developing States Toward Mauritius 2005 Paper Series No. 2004-2 

Small Islands, Large Ocean States: A Review of Ocean and Coastal Management in Small Island Developing States since the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Toward Mauritius 2005 Paper Series No. 2005-1 

Island Bellwether: Climate Change and Energy Policy Strategy for Small Island Developing States Toward Mauritius 2005 Paper Series No. 2005-2 

Other Islands Information

Small Island Developing States: A Special Case in the International Arena (Ronneberg, E. 2003. Global Forum On Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Newsletter 1(2):3-4.) 

The Importance of the Barbados+10 Assessment for Small Island Developing States (Sopoaga, E.S. 2003. Global Forum On Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Newsletter 1(2):6-7.) 

Links

Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
c/o Permanent Mission of Grenada to the United Nations
Tel: 1 (212) 599-0301; Fax: 1 (212) 599-1540

Small Island Developing States Network
SIDS Unit, UN Division of Economic and Social Affairs
Email: sidsnet@sdnhq.undp.org

For additional information, please contact Miriam Balgos, Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Secretariat, at mbalgos@udel.edu or 1-302-831-8086.