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Small Island Developing States Programme

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are islands of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are some of the most beautiful places on Earth, with atolls of white sand beaches, mountain ranges covered in cloud forest, historic ports and towns, and agricultural landscapes. They are relatively remote, vulnerable to environmental challenges, such as climate change, and generally small in size—Niue has a population of only 1,269, and Tuvalu a total land area of only 26km.

The UNESCO SIDS Programme develops World Heritage activities in these areas, providing support for new nominations to the World Heritage List, and sustainable conservation and management practices for sites already inscribed.

The SIDS were recognized as a distinct group of developing countries in June 1992, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development. The 29th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2005 adopted the World Heritage Programme for SIDS, and the SIDS have since become a point of focus for World Heritage identification and protection.

40

The number of SIDS

32

The number of  World Heritage Sites in the SIDS

1,269

The smallest population in SIDS (Niue)

International Year of Small Island Developing States launched

2014 is dedicated to the United Nations’ International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and Global Launch ceremony took place on Monday 24 February 2014 at UN Headquarters in New York. From 1 to 4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa, the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States  will be held, and to be preceded by activities related to the conference from 28 to 30 August 2014, also in Apia, Samoa. The SIDS Conference will focus the world's attention on a group of countries that remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities.

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