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Vulnerability and Resilience

Small states face particular threats from economic shocks and natural disasters and their capacity to deal with these shocks is limited.

VulnerabilityMany small states are located in regions where there is a high incidence of cyclones, hurricanes and volcanic activity.

The Maldives, Kiribati and Tuvalu, for example, are low-lying islands or atolls and face marine submersion as a result of global warming and rises in sea-levels.

Addressing vulnerability

The Commonwealth Secretariat works to:

  • promote implementation by key multilateral organisations of the development agenda set out by the Secretariat/World Bank Task Force;
  • promote high-level attention to the particular issues of small states at Commonwealth and other international meetings;
  • provide more specific assistance to small states to help them address the problems and development challenges they face;
  • build partnerships with international agencies and mobilise support to implement the small states programme;
  • establish a tracking mechanism on the implementation of the Development Agenda;
  • collaborate with the World Bank by organising joint small states meeting (during annual meeting of the Fund and the World Bank);
  • implement the Secretariat's commitments and responsibilities in WTO negotiations in Geneva;
  • achieve consensus on the use of the Vulnerability Index and encourage the development of predictable guidelines for graduation of small states;
  • complete small states' website, publish volume of key analyses and papers.

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