KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, C.M.C. – Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S.) of the Caribbean Tueady began a meeting here to assess development progress and agree on priorities for next year’s United Nations conference on S.I.D.S. in Antigua and Barbuda.
The Caribbean S.I.D.S., namely, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago are battling unique challenges, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events and changing weather patterns that are threatening ecosystems and damaging economies.
Our region is complex, but we share a special bond due to our small size and geographic positioning and our unique vulnerabilities; the effects of a changing climate and intense natural disasters, the impacts of various exogenous economic shocks, and cascading impacts of global political instability are significant factors on our development,” said Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Keisal Melissa Peters.
“This is a signal moment; we must assess where we are, with a clear vision for where we want to go and define how we will get there,” she added.
The U.N. has said small islands are in the crossfire of multiple crises, including climate change, inequality, and the economic and social repercussions of COVID-19, primarily related to debt. The collapse in tourism due to the pandemic left large holes in the coffers of Caribbean islands and severely set back efforts to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals (S.D.G.s) and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
S.I.D.S. are responsible for only 0.2 percent of global carbon emissions and yet suffer most from the impacts of climate change. The constant cycle of disaster and recovery leaves them weakened and unable to implement adequate resilience measures.
These countries are also large ocean states, and 97 percent of their territory is sea rather than land. For example, the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Bahamas comprises 654,715 km2 and is approximately the size of Germany and Italy.
As stewards of so much of the world’s ocean, the meeting will hear that a sustainable future for the planet relies on a renewed and strengthened partnership between all island nations and the international community.
“By fostering regional collaboration and partnerships, Caribbean nations can leverage their collective strength to overcome common challenges and embrace sustainable solutions,” said Li Jinhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the 2024 UN SIDS Conference.
“The United Nations is committed to supporting these initiatives to improve the livelihoods of S.I.D.S. communities and contribute to efforts towards a more resilient and sustainable future,” he added.
The Caribbean meeting is the second regional review meeting on the path to the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024.
One additional regional meeting will be held in Tonga for the Pacific region, followed by a final interregional gathering in Cabo Verde.
Next year, the global conference will thoroughly evaluate the progress made in implementing the S.I.D.S. Accelerated Modalities of Action (S.A.M.O.A.) Pathway, a significant international development agreement reached in 2014.
The meeting here is expected to adopt an outcome document with comprehensive recommendations and strategic action plans tailored to the Caribbean region. This document organizers said this play a vital role in the preparations for the 2024 conference, the organ
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