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SIDS International Meeting

Programme

The International Meeting for the 10-year Review of the Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) took place in, Port Louis, Mauritius from 10-14 January, 2005. Documentation for the Mauritius International Meeting is available from: http://www.un.org/smallislands2005. Key elements of the programme are outlined below.

For background information on this International Meeting and the preparatory process that went before it, go to Barbados Plan of Action.

A Civil Society Forum was held from 6 to 9 January, 2005 at the Freeport Exhibition Centre (Community Vilaj). The Forum is not part of the official International Meeting and is open to participation by all NGOs and other major groups. The website for the Civil Society Forum is http://www.coi-info.org/csf.

Pre-meeting Consultations

Pre-meeting consultations on the outcome document for the conference were held on 8 and 9 January. During these sessions, the G77/China and Development partners – the US, EU, Australia, Japan and Canada among others – continued their earlier negotiations on a Draft Strategy for the further implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.
 
The outstanding issues for negotiations include the introduction, climate change and sea-level rise, graduation, trade and globalisation, the management of wastes and the implementation section.
 
A summary of the draft strategy (current negotiating text) can be downloaded from: http://www.un.org/smallislands2005 (the link is on the right-hand side). A more detailed account of October's informal session is also available at: http://www.iisd.ca/sids/bpoa10/BPOA10_Briefing_10.04.html.

Plenary Meetings

Plenary statements to the meeting took place during the first three days of the meeting (10-12 January, 2005). Deliberations centred on five panel-led discussions, for which the UN had prepared discussion papers. The general theme was "The Way Forward: focusing on the policies and strategies that will strengthen the ability of SIDS to implement the BPOA". Conclusions from panel discussions were fed into Ministerial Roundtables held during the high-level segment.

Panel 1: Environmental Vulnerabilities of SIDS

Including: climate change (capacity for adaptation); natural disaster preparedness and mitigation (early warning, preparedness, scientific understanding); renewable energy (innovative local sources, e.g. biomass, municipal waste and renewables, R&D and public information).

Panel 2: Trade and Economic Development

Including: diversification; prospects for progress towards special treatment on grounds of vulnerability "seems very limited"; development financing (graduation).

Panel 3: Culture

Including: the social and instrumental value of culture; legal, technical, financial and policy measures to protect and promote culture; a framework for the development of cultural industries.

Panel 4: Emerging Trends and Social Challenges

Including: health; HIV/AIDS; water; education; poverty; MDGs/PRSPs; security.
 
Panel 5: Resilience Building

Including: aspects of vulnerability and responses to vulnerabilities; technology transfer; capacity building and research; regional structures; donor arrangements.

High-level segment (13-14 January 2005)

This was opened by the UN Secretary-General and will provide for a general debate on a "Comprehensive review of the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States".
 
There were two Ministerial Roundtables focusing on cross-cutting issues:
 
Roundtable 1: Mobilising Resources

  • National policies creating an enabling environment
    - Is there a role for ODA in this effort
    - What measures might be employed to strengthen private sector development
  • Development of off-shore financial and other service industries

Improving debt management

  • Promoting remittance flows
  • Improving donor co-ordination
  • Special and differential treatment
  • Graduation (role of IFIs)


Roundtable 2: Building Capacity

  • Effective participation of SIDS in WTO
  • SIDS University Consortium: how to give financing and other support
  • Institutional capacity and co-ordinating mechanisms
    Side-Events

There were side events and related activities during the course of the SIDS International Meeting.