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Preparations
for the review of the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing
States
One of the
main objectives of Small Islands Voice is to ensure that the general
public's views on environment and development issues contribute
to the review of the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing
States.
At the 57th
Session of the United Nations General Assembly, 12th December
2002, a resolution was adopted
reaffirming the special case for Small Island Developing States
(SIDS), including the urgent need for effective implementation
of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States, and a comprehensive review of
the Plan of Action adopted in Barbados in 1994. A decision was
made to convene an international meeting in 2004, which will include
a high-level segment, to undertake a full and comprehensive review
of the implementation of the Programme of Action, as called for
in the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (Johannesburg, 2002); and the offer of the Government
of Mauritius to host the international meeting was accepted. The
resolution invites the different sectors of society in all Member
States to participate fully in the review of the Programme of
Action and its follow-up (item 11).
Regional preparatory
meetings have been held in 2003 so that SIDS can review their
progress relating to the Barbados Programme of Action over the
past ten years. The Pacific Regional Meeting was held in Apia,
Samoa from 4-8th August, 2003, and a report
has been prepared. The report for the
AIMS region meeting (Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean
and South China Sea), held in Praia, Cape Verde Islands from 1-5th
September, 2003, has been prepared. Finally, the report
from the Caribbean meeting, held in Trinidad and Tobago from
6-10 October 2003, has been prepared.
Regional and
inter-regional organizations are also taking part in the review
process. In this regard UNESCO has prepared a website,
a forward
looking paper that discusses and presents the key issues relating
to the sustainable development of SIDS in a new perspective, and
an article
on Small islands step into the limelight.
Civil society
has been preparing for the review of the Barbados Programme of
Action. A regional workshop was held in Mauritius for representatives
from civil society in the Indian Ocean, from 3-5 October 2003.
This workshop was organized by the Centre for Documentation and
Research in the Indian Ocean (CEDREFI) and supported by Small
Islands Voice. A summary report
on this civil society consultation has been prepared and was
also discussed at the Oceans, Coasts and Islands
Conference in Paris in November 2003. One of the outputs of
the workshop was the Declaration
of Calodyne sur Mer, Mauritius.
Civil society
in the Caribbean has also been preparing for the review of the
Barbados Programme of Action. A regional consultation was held
from 3-5 October 2003, organised by the Caribbean Network for
Integrated Rural Development, and supported by the United Nations
Environment Programme. A summary report
and a declaration resulting
from this consultation was presented to the Caribbean regional
preparatory meeting.
An inter-regional
preparatory meeting was held in Nassau, The Bahamas, 26-30 January
2004. This meeting, at Ministerial level, gave SIDS an opportunity
to consolidate their national and regional reviews and to determine
their common priorities with the support of the international
community. One output from the meeting was the Nassau
Declaration.
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