Small Island Developing States are stewards of vast ocean resources, and are sometimes referred to as large ocean island states. They are in fact primarily ocean-based economies and societies. The lives of island communities are closely linked to the ocean, which they depend on for food, employment, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and cultural diversity. Sustainable development and human well-being cannot be addressed in SIDS without giving due consideration to healthy oceans. UNESCO’s work aims at addressing pressing issues that threaten ocean health with great potential impacts on SIDS, mainly through its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO).

UNESCO is deeply committed to assisting SIDS in strengthening their own scientific capacity in ocean management –in particular working through the IOC regional networks covering the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific regions. These provide regional platform where SIDS countries can pool their resources such oceanographic vessels, facilitate the transfer of technology, share data and overall build regional capacity in oceanography and ocean management. With this in mind, , IOC-UNESCO is organizing a side event during the 3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States on Coping with and adapting to ocean threats for resilient SIDS communities.

While they contribute little to climate change, small islands are on the frontlines of its impacts. They are directly threatened by sea level rise, which is expected to exacerbate inundation, storm surge, erosion and other coastal hazards, thus threatening vital infrastructure, settlements and facilities that support the livelihood of island communities. Cities, roads and international airports are often located near the coast, where a vast majority of island populations live.

The Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) provides data for deriving the 'Global Level of the Sea Surface' for application to climate, oceanographic and coastal sea level research. It is an international programme conducted under the auspices of the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and IOC-UNESCO.

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), led by IOC-UNESCO, provides the scientific data needed to develop effective adaptation measures. It is a permanent global system for observations, modelling and analysis of marine and ocean variables designed to monitor, understand and predict weather and climate; improve management of marine and coastal ecosystems and resources and minimize risks, through international cooperation.

The ocean absorbs approximately 25% of our carbon emissions, greatly reducing the impact of this greenhouse gas on the climate while causing the ocean to acidify at rates not seen for the last 55 million years. Ocean acidification causes ecosystems and marine biodiversity to change. If current trends continue, the chemistry of the tropical oceans will not sustain coral reef growth within decades, and some plankton and zooplankton species that form the base of the marine food chain will also be affected. Forecasted impacts will cause many challenges to island communities that depend heavily on healthy marine ecosystems.

Ocean acidification is a relatively new field of study, and IOC-UNESCO has been at its forefront since the very beginning. It is a co-founder of the Ocean Acidification Network and is helping SIDS to expand Ocean Acidification research, monitoring and observations through increased international collaboration via, for instance, the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON), the International Group for Marine Ecological Time-Series (IGMETS), and its involvement in the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP).

Small island developing States are especially vulnerable to coastal hazards, including tsunamis. In the Caribbean and Pacific islands, more than 50% of the population lives less than 1.5 km from the sea. Following the strongest tsunami in living memory in the Indian Ocean in 2004, IOC-UNESCO took the lead in coordinating the establishment of regional tsunami early warning systems in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and North-eastern Atlantic, in addition to the existing Pacific Tsunami Warning System. Twenty-five SIDS are taking part in these networks.

In order to implement effective preventive measures, communities need to be aware of the risk they face. The Commission helps educate communities and assess risks and vulnerabilities, supports training workshops, and facilitates regular tsunami early warning exercises to test the readiness of the systems and communities involved.

In the Pacific, is it helping SIDS develop National Tsunami Response Plans and standard operating procedures for key agencies, using a common format and structure to streamline such plans across the region. UNESCO has also developed and distributed a video documentary on the 2009 tsunami in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, in order to share communities’ experiences and lessons learnt from this major disaster.

The Scientific Educational Resources and Experience Associated with the Deployment of Argo profiling floats in the South Pacific Ocean (SEREAD) is an educational programme that adapts data from these floats to the existing curricula of Pacific island schools, through cooperative arangements with the local Ministries of Education. Topics include the role of the ocean in the climate system and ocean-related hazards: sea level rise, storm surges, tsunamis, the reasons for the intensification of tropical cyclones, etc.