GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – A three-day workshop aimed at producing a workplan for the establishment of national institutional mechanisms for the synergistic implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) got underway here on Monday.
The subregional capacity-building workshop on the ABAS and its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework is organised by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.
According to the organisers, the workshop will result in the validation of the ABAS M&E framework through direct input from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) statistical and policy experts, ensuring that national institutional mechanisms and M&E framework build on existing capacities, reflect national realities, and can be effectively integrated into the country’s national development planning framework and data systems, respectively.
They said the objectives of the three-day event are to develop the capacity of Caribbean SIDS to institute mechanisms for the synergistic implementation of the ABAS and the SDGs, aligned with national development priorities, as well as to familiarise SIDS stakeholders with the ABAS M&E framework and its indicators.
It also aims to increase the knowledge of national statistical experts and policymakers regarding the ABAS indicators, methodologies, and data sources, and to document the challenges countries face in operationalising the Caribbean SIDS Mechanism for Sustainable Development.
It will also inform Caribbean SIDS on global reporting processes, ensuring that their perspectives are integrated into ongoing UN statistical and methodological discussions and
Support alignment of national sustainable development mechanisms and national data ecosystems with reporting for ABAS, SDGs, and related frameworks.
The organisers said that an essential outcome of the workshop will be the development of preliminary needs assessments and national work plans, which will provide a roadmap for countries to implement the ABAS M&E framework in practice.
They said this will help identify specific technical assistance and capacity development requirements, while also laying the foundation for more systematic and coordinated reporting starting in 2026.
The workshop will also strengthen cooperation among SIDS by fostering peer-to-peer exchanges and laying the groundwork for networks that enable continued learning and the sharing of experiences.
The main facilitators at the three-day workshop are staff members from the UNSD, the SIDS Unit, and the Trinidad-based ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean.
The Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), held in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024, adopted the ABAS, which the United Nations General Assembly subsequently endorsed on 16 July 2024.
ABAS is the fourth international programme of action for SIDS, setting out sustainable development priorities for the next decade and identifying support needed from the global community.
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