4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4)
Just a few short weeks ago I had the privilege to represent #OurSharedOcean IrishAid and Marine Institute at the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States, #SIDS4, in Antigua & Barbuda. Ireland’s delegation was led by the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations Ambassador Fergal Mythen, and included Deputy Permanent Representative Dónal Cronin , John Gilroy Eimear Hannon and Sharon Lennon (Head of Irelands Office for the Caribbean) and myself. Thanks go to the entire team for the invitation to be part of the delegation and contributions to this article.
The Conference is crucial to ensuring that all SIDS are included on a path towards resilient prosperity. The challenges facing these island nations are well-recognised, water, food and energy security, biodiversity loss, environmental challenges, economic turmoil, coastal resilience in the face of increased frequency and intensity of storm surges. This one-in-ten year gathering of SIDS representatives is an opportunity for these resilient island nations to come together and ensure their voices are amplified and heard on the international stage. Ireland, a strong advocate for SIDS as per our Second Strategy for Partnership with SIDS, had a strong profile throughout the Conference, our reputation clearly recognised among SIDS and relevant stakeholders which reflects on our longstanding engagement on multiple fronts, and our significant support to the SIDS4 conference itself.
The Conference was opened by H.E. Gaston Browne Prime Minister Government of Antigua & Barbuda who said it was 'an important time to reflect on the shared journey for all SIDS, and to consider how collaborative ventures can shape and help diversify SIDS economies'. The Prime Minister identified investment opportunities in tourism, where SIDS are traditionally strong, and which has provided lifelines for communities and allowed economic growth and an opportunity to showcase each island and its role in sustainable development. He called for public and private funding that practically supports domestic economic growth and noted Singapore as an example of how a Small Island can transform itself into a global economic powerhouse and called for a new generation of growth based on continued momentum and shared experiences towards #Prosperity #Resilience #Transformation & #Diversification.
Climate change and access to finance, the prevalent themes throughout the week, were underlined in powerful opening remarks from UN United Nations Secretary-General @Antonio Guiterrez who referred to SIDS as ‘beautiful and resilient but vulnerable and engulfed in climate chaos’. He continued ‘These nations are a test case for climate justice. We cannot accept the disappearance of and country or culture under rising waves. Today we need your fierce voices more than ever. We demand every country aligns to 1.5 and subscribes to fossil fuel reduction.’ (The 1.5 here refers to the commitment under the Paris Agreement, for countries to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to enable the long-term global average surface temperature increase to be kept well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C).
At the Global Business Forum, held alongside SIDS4, UN Secretary General Gutierrez also identified the financial turmoil in the developing world calling it ‘outdated and dysfunctional’ which doesn’t support those currently in debt. ‘The system needs to be more responsive to a changing world and climate include debt-relief to ensure all have access to finance to relieve food, climate issues. To change the SIDS, requires sustained commitment from the private sector.’ He further called for expertise and innovation to mobilise and de-risk private investment; for all Governments to prioritise climate action towards a net-zero plan and align with the Sustainable Development Goals strategy; for shipping to be de-carbonised and the development of a digital transformation towards a Digital Twin of the ocean, open and accessible to all nations.
In his own remarks to the Global Business Forum Ambassador, Irelands UN Ambassador Fergal Mythen called SIDS ‘the canaries of the sea’, as they are facing the critical climate challenges now which all nations will be forced to face 15-20 years. He continued ‘We know what the challenges are, we have the science and the data but we need Imagination, Bravery and Creativity to drive solutions and reach sustainable prosperity'. He underlined Irelands own commitment to working with the SIDS and the the benefit of a long-term model for partnership that will care for people and planet.
Outside of the main UN Plenary Sessions, a large number of side events took place over the course of the Conference, with the Irish delegation actively participating in many of them. This included the Global Business Network Forum, Gender Equality Forum, Friends of Vision, OceanShot, a Munster Technological University event concerning the Importance of Sports in SIDS. The side-events were well attended and at times difficult to access due to high demand for space, as delegates who had journeyed from island nations all over the world ensured their voices were heard. Our Shared Ocean attended as many events as possible to listen to these vital conversations.
I also had the proud opportunity to listen to Irelands National Statement by Ambassador Mythen to the main UN plenary Hall? and then to be invited to attend an Interactive Dialogue on ‘Leveraging data and digital technologies and building effective institutions for a resilient future in Small Island Developing States’, delivered by Deputy Head of Mission Dónal Cronin in which there was specific reference to the Our Shared Ocean programme amongst other vital initiatives Ireland is involved in globally including Irelands' SIDS Fellows Program.
I was delighted for the invitation to speak at ‘Ocean science and knowledge to underpin sustainable and equitable economic development in SIDS through the framework of the Ocean Decade’, an important discussion on the future priorities for ocean science and knowledge to revitalise SIDS economies. It presented an opportunity to detail our existing collaborations with the UN Ocean Decade UNESCO Ocean IOCARIBE undefined & Lorna Inniss which includes our Online training course in Co-Design funded in part through Our Shared Ocean which has, since its inception, consistently removed barriers to SIDS engaging with us. This includes increasing the number of eligible SIDS, removing the need for an Irish research partner, developing Direct Funded projects to work with SIDS partners who bring competitive ideas & solutions to us and funding further relevant training courses including Best Practice Skills for Sustainable Development in SIDS in partnership with Island Innovation . Our current partnership UN Ocean Decade is just another example of where we are contributing to #KnowledgeTransfer and #CapacityDevelopment where it is needed most. We were proud to align our goals with this critical initiative, be endorsed as a Decade Action in 2023 and mentioned in the Barcelona Statement in 2024.
?Despite the precarious position many SIDS find themselves in, Hope remains. According to Ambassador Peter Thomson Special UN Envoy for the Ocean, ‘There has never been more money spent on marine or environmental research worldwide’. If that is the case, we need to maximise that investment with both public and private contributions. The UN and SIDS made an impressive case for far-reaching reforms of the international financial architecture, including for new sources of finance (like a global carbon tax), debt relief, lower interest rates on loans and more climate finance but it remains to be seen if the appeal will be heeded. Despite this, I was struck by the commitment to change and innovative thinking from so many passionate individuals.
Riddhi Samtani described the plight of the small Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, the devastation of recent hurricanes and shone a light on the difficulties a Non-UN member state or over-seas territory can face. Trinidadian environmentalist, Akilah Jaramogi questioned how island states can recover from climate disaster when international assistance is only provided with interest high loans which further increase debt. Roderick Gordon , a lawyer with Clean Energy Regulatory Reform Advisory told me how national legislation can and should be changed in order to move towards cleaner energy production. I spoke to Sam Teicher from Coral Vita about how corals can be grown artificially and transplanted to help replenish reefs naturally - a practical, proven solution to an existing environmental challenge which demonstrates innovative thinking. Geneva Oliverie discussed how the Caribbean Policy Development Centre is working to protect against economic shocks referencing COVID and damage and loss from storms. Adoptacoastline told me about their small but growing initiative to empower local communities to protect their coastline with the take home message ‘don’t wait for permission to take action’.
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AS SIDS4 closes, the emphasis shifts to the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) – a Renewed Declaration Resilient Prosperity, the SIDS plan for 2024-2034 adopted by world leaders with a further pledge to help SIDS achieve their priorities over the next 10 years. The over-arching message from Antigua is that there is no more time for talk and the need to move away from fossil fuel consumption is critical but this has been apparent for decades. Keeping 1.5 Alive is not a wish - it’s an existential need that will affect every nation, man, woman and child on this planet in the next 30 years. We need meaningful political and financial pressure on the biggest carbon polluters (China, the US, the EU, India, Russia & Japan) and a credible, sustainable alternative to oil-consumption. Besides the obvious and perhaps as important, we need to reshape the global narrative on climate change and overcome damaging social inertia, fake news and apathy.
Far away from the eyes of the global polluting giants our canaries are dying, drowning under rising waters, suffocated by Sargassum, eroded by our collective inaction. The next SIDS Conference is 10 years away but without the urgent action that has been so clearly identified by then it might be too late.
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