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UNESCO Implementing Mauritius Strategy |
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| UNESCO at Mauritius '05 | |
| From Barbados'94 to Mauritius'05 | |
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| | From Barbados to Mauritius |
In June 1992, at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the world community adopted Agenda 21, representing a global consensus and political commitment at the highest level on development and environment cooperation.
Some two years later, in Barbados in April-May 1994, the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States addressed the challenge of translating Agenda 21 into specific policies, actions and measures to be taken at the national, regional and international level. This was the first conference that translated Agenda 21 into a programme of action for a group of countries. The resulting Declaration of Barbados and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States listed 15 priority areas for specific action: Climate change and sea-level rise; Natural and environmental disasters; Management of wastes; Coastal and marine resources; Freshwater resources; Land resources; Energy resources; Tourism resources; Biodiversity resources; National institutions and administrative capacity; Regional institutions and technical cooperation; Transport and communication; Science and technology; Human resource development; Implementation, monitoring and review.
Subsequently, in February 1999, a Meeting of Prospective Donors and Representatives of Small Island Developing States was held in New York, to review the mobilization of financial resources for the follow-up of the 1994 Barbados Conference on SIDS. A wide range of project portfolios that had been submitted for consideration by donors was discussed. It also participated in the United Nations General Assembly special session for the Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States referred to above.
Later in 1999, in September, an overall review and appraisal of the Barbados Programme of Action was carried out by a special session of the United Nations General Assembly. The special session adopted a State of Progress and Initiatives for the Future Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States which identified the following six priority problem areas in need of urgent attention over the next five years: (a) Climate change (adapting to climate change and rising sea levels, which could submerge some low-lying island nations); (b) Natural and environmental disasters and climate variability (improving preparedness for and recovery from natural and environmental disasters); (c) Freshwater resources (preventing worsening shortages of freshwater as demand grows); (d) Coastal and marine resources (protecting coastal ecosystems and coral reefs from pollution and over-fishing); (e) Energy (developing solar and renewable energy to lessen dependence on expensive imported oil); (f) Tourism (managing tourism growth to protect the environment and cultural integrity).
In January 2002, as part of the preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, an inter-regional meeting was held in Singapore, organized by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). Participants addressed perspectives on sustainable development in the various SIDS regions, and priority issues such as capacity building, the role of civil society, climate change and renewable energy, trade, financing, land degradation, oceans. Conclusions and recommendations were encapsulated in the Singapore Declaration.
In September 2002, in Johannesburg, the World Summit on Sustainable Development reaffirmed that small island developing States are a special case both for environment and development. Among the recommended follow-up actions, the Johannesburg summit called for a full and comprehensive review of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA), and requested the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session to consider convening an international meeting for the sustainable development of SIDS.
In December 2002, through Resolution A/C/57/262, the United Nations General Assembly requested the relevant organs and agencies of the UN system to undertake concrete measures for the further implementation of the BPoA. The General Assembly further decided 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 Barbados Programme of Action, and welcomed the offer of the Government of Mauritius to host this meeting.
In March 2003, in Fiji, the UNDESA convened a Regional Consultation for the Pacific on WSSD Type II Partnerships. This consultation also provided an opportunity to discuss preparations for the review of the BPoA, including national assessments.
In May 2003 in New York, discussions on Barbados+10 and the International SIDS meeting in Mauritius, took place during the eleventh session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Among other considerations, the CSD invited the international donor and development community, and international organizations to provide information on their activities in support of implementation of the BPoA. During the same week in New York, UNESCO took part in the first meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Barbados+10/Mauritius International Meeting.
In August-October 2003, three regional preparatory meetings for the Mauritius International Meeting (MIM) were held, for Pacific SIDS (Apia, Samoa, 4-8 August), for Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea SIDS (Praia, Cape Verde, 1-5 September) and for Caribbean SIDS (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 6-10 October).
In late 2003, item 96(d) of the provisional agenda of the fifty-eighth session of the UN General Assembly was devoted to the further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of SIDS, with a ten-page document (A/58/170) providing an overview of preparations at different levels (international, regional, national) together with conclusions and recommendations. Delegates' statements are included in UN Press Releases on the 15th, 16th and 17th meetings of the UN-GA Second Committee, with the relevant report of the Second Committee dated 17 December (A/58/484/Add.4).
From 26-30 January 2004, an inter-regional preparatory meeting for Mauritius took place in Nassau (Bahamas), to prepare and adopt the Nassau Declaration and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Strategy Paper for the Further Implementation of the BPoA. For a daily report and a summary account of the Bahamas preparatory meeting, see the Earth Negotiations Bulletin operated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
From 14-16 April 2004, during its twelfth session, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development finalized the preparations for the international meeting, including its agenda. It also considered a Secretary-General’s synthesis report offering an overall assessment of progress achieved in the implementation of the BPoA. A daily report on the 14-16 April discussions is accessible through IISD's Earth Negotiations Bulletin (EBN).
From 17-19 May 2004 , at UN Headquarters in New York, a first round of 'informal informal consultations' were held in preparation for the International Meeting . During the consultations, facilitated by Ambassador Don MacKay (New Zealand), delegates undertook a second reading of the compilation Draft Strategy text that was produced from the SIDS preparatory meeting held from 14-16 April. An account is given in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
Subsequently, during the period 7-12 October 2004 , a second round of informal informal consultations were held at UN Headquarters in New York. Deliberations were continued on the revised Draft Strategy Paper. As reported in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, delegates worked with the understanding that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Within that optic, delegates (a) resolved some sections of the new implementation strategy, (b) reached partial resolution on others, (c) reached no resolution on sections concerning "Graduation, Trade: Globalization and Trade Liberalization", and (d)deferred to the international meeting discussions on "Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise".
And from 10-14 January 2005, a high-level international meeting in Mauritius will review the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS. Official documents for the Mauritius International Meeting – including the Draft Strategy Paper and various background papers -- are accessible through the web-site of the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS).
Further information on Mauritius meeting and its follow-up will be posted on the present website in the weeks leading up to and following the Mauritius meeting. Additional information on other activities relating to small islands and to small island developing states is accessible through ‘Resources’ (right).
Documents Clicklist:
1994 Barbados Conference and the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA)
Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary and analysis of the 1994 Barbados Conference
Special session of the UN General Assembly to review and appraise progress in implementing the BPoA (Barbados + 5) (27-28 September 1999)
ENB summary of the UN-GA Barbados + 5 session
December 2002 UN General Assembly Resolution calling for the review of the implementation of the BPoA
List of Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting (Apia, Samoa, 4-8 August 2003)
Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and the South China Sea (AIMS) Regional Preparatory Meeting (Praia, Cape Verde, 1-5 September 2003)
SIDS thematic meetings of experts, on such topics as waste management, vulnerability and resilience, and renewable energy
Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, 6-10 October 2003) | | Inter-regional preparatory meeting (Bahamas, 26-30 January 2004): the Nassau Declaration and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Strategy Paper for the Further Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA)
ENB daily account and summary of the interregional preparatory meeting (Bahamas, January 2004)
Report of the UN Secretary General on the Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (document E/CN.17/2004/8, dated 11 March 2004)
Commission on Sustainable Development, 12th Session (CSD-12). New York, 14-30 April 2004 Programme and organization of work
ENB daily account of the CSD-12, including its discussions on the International Meeting for the 10-year Review of the BPoA (New York, 14-16 April 2004)
Small Islands, Big Stakes Web-site for the International Meeting to be held in Mauritius from 10-14 January 2005
"General Assembly decides on new dates for the Mauritius International Meeting: 10-14 January 2005"
ENB briefing on second round of Informal Consultations on the Mauritius International Meeting (UN Headquarters, New York , 7-8 and 11-12 October 2004)
Official documents for the Mauritius International Meeting – including the Draft Strategy Paper and various background papers
See also the UN System and Related Links |
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Projects
 | Island Directory |
| Database on 2,000 of the world’s islands maintained by UNEP-Geneva. For each island, information organized in 70 fields, addressing such aspects as land area, island type, climate, catastrophic threats, human occupation and impact, ecosystem type, fauna and flora, endemic and introduced species, protected areas, etc. >> More
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| Small Island Environmental Management Course and Training Programme |
| Do-it-yourself set of materials developed by UNEP-Earthwatch. Forty-six units organized in ten sections, including sensitization to environmental problems, basic resources, ecological principles, traditional environmental management, human habitat, managing the local environment, techniques for research and monitoring, assessing development projects, communicating knowledge to others. >> More
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| UNDP Capacity: 2015 Regional Strategy for Small Island Developing States |
| Capacity 2015 is a global partnership mechanism assisting countries to develop the capacity of their professionals, institutions, and systems to formulate and implement strategies for sustainable development to achieve local, national and international development goals. One of the components of Capacity 2015 is specifically focused on sustainable development challenges in Small Island Developing States. >> More
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| UNEP Regional Seas Programmes and Action Plans |
| Regional mechanisms for cooperation between governments and commitment to shared goals in respect to the marine and coastal environment, with 13 regional action plans for such regions as the Caribbean, Mediterranean, North-West Pacific, South Asian Seas, South Pacific, South-East Pacific. >> More
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Events
| International Conference on Small Island Cultures
(Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands, Japan 07-02-2005 - 12-02-2005)
Co-organized by Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands and the Small Island Cultures Research Initiative (SICRI) and co-sponsored by the Japan Society of Island Studies (Nihon Tousho Gakkai). More |
Websites
| Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Coalition of small island and low-lying countries, that functions mainly as an ad hoc lobby and negotiating voice within the UN system.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Established in 1973, works towards attainment of a viable, internationally competitive and sustainable community of nations in the Caribbean, with improved quality of life for all.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Caribbean Site Directory
Organized index of Caribbean-related web-sites, with entries on an island/country basis as well as by subject (e.g. regional products, arts-music-literature).
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Centre for Rights and Development (CEFRAD)
Seychelles-based NGO, created in 1998. Aims include encouraging citizens to participate proactively in sustainable development at community, national, regional and global levels.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Commonwealth Small States
Web-site designed to increase international awareness of the problems and challenges faced by 32 small states (many of them small island states) in the Commonwealth, arising from the constraints of size, remoteness and vulnerability to shocks.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
‘Oceanic islands: introduction’, ‘Dispersal of plants and animals to oceanic islands’ and ‘Effects of sea-level rise on small island states’ are just three of the articles relating to small islands accessible through EOLSS, developed under the auspices of the UNESCO-EOLSS Joint Committee.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| FAO Small Island Developing States
Includes compilation of FAO documents and other publications relating to food, agriculture and fisheries in SIDS.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Global Islands Network
Non-profit organization established in June 2002 to conduct and promote culturally appropriate, ecologically sound, economically sustainable and socially equitable development on islands worldwide.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| International Scientific Council for Island Development (INSULA)
Non-governmental international organization created in 1989, with the aim of bringing together and mobilizing the skills of those who consider islands and their progress as a shared heritage.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Island Resources Foundation
Private non-profit research and education organization based in US Virgin Islands, dedicated to addressing the environment problems of development in small tropical islands.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Islands and Small States Institute, University of Malta
Based at the Foundation for International Studies, promotes research and training on the economic, social, cultural, ecological and geographical aspects of small states, including sustainability indices.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Jane’s Oceania
Provides visitors with a window for viewing life in various parts of the Pacific islands. A monthly newsletter typically contains sections on such topics as News and Views, Pacific Islands Radio, About Books, Coming Events, Recollections and Memoirs, Special Links, Oceania Websites, Interesting Places, Interesting Links, Letters, It's Time to Chat.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Lettres des îles
Newsletter No. 12 previews the “6ème Prix du livre insulaire” (6th Island Book Prize)(announced at Ouessant off the Brittany coast of France on 19 August 2004). Associated with a two-day seminar on Haitian literature, to mark the bicentenary of the founding of the country.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
Regional institution based in St Lucia, created in 1981. Contributes to the sustainable development of its nine member states by assisting them to maximize the benefits from their collective space, by facilitating their intelligent integration with the global economy, by contributing to policy and programme formulation and execution in respect of regional and international issues, and by facilitation of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, University of the South Pacific(USP)
Set-up in 2001, with the brief to work with all sections of the university, government agencies, regional and international organizations and NGOs, in promoting environmentally sustainable development.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC)
Secretariat of a regional coalition of NGOs for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement (NFIP), grouping 120 affiliate organizations from 33 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Pacific Island Forum
Provides 16 member nations with opportunity to express their joint political views and to cooperate in areas of political and economic concern.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO)
Regional network of NGO focal points or coordinating bodies known as National Liaison Units (NLUs) based in 22 Pacific Island countries and territories.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Participatory Planning in the Caribbean
Provides information on conferences, government agencies, NGOs, consultants, academics, references and new books, as well as posting a ‘monthly paper’ (that for June 2003 concerns a proposal for knowledge-based tourism in Montserrat, that for September 2003 “Whatever happened to democracy?”).
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Partnerships for Sustainable Development in SIDS
Non-negotiated partnerships were an important outcome of the Johannesburg Summit. Of the 250+ partnerships posted so far by the UN, a score of projects in SIDS address such issues as renewable energy, governance, managing vulnerability and building resilience, reinforcing regional NGOs.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
Broadly-based regional agency working with 22 independent and associated island territories in providing technical, research and management assistance.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Forty-one states and territories are included in the list used by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in monitoring progress in implementing the Barbados Programme of Action.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)
Intergovernmental agency serving 16 island member states in the fields of hydrology, geology, disaster management, ocean science, and related domains.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Established in 1982 within the Regional Seas Programme of UNEP, became an autonomous intergovernmental organization in 1993.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| UN Division of Sustainable Development --Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Web-page on SIDS by the United Nations focal point for the lead-up to the 2004 Mauritius meeting.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme
Promotes regional cooperation for the protection and development of the environment in the wider Caribbean region, and services a clearing house for marine-coastal environmental data and information in the region.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| UNEP Islands Web-Site
Access to information on islands and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), especially from within the United Nations system. Provides links to Island Directory (information on some 2,000 islands) and 46-unit do-it-yourself course on small island environmental management.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Activities in Marine and Coastal Areas
Provides access to UNEP’s Regional Seas’ Action Plans and Conventions.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| University of the South Pacific (USP)
Established in 1968, with 12 member countries, premier provider of tertiary education in the Pacific, and an international centre of excellence for teaching and research on all aspects of Pacific culture and environment.
>> More info >> Go to website
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| University of the West Indies (UWI)
Autonomous regional organization supported by and serving 15 countries in the West Indies, with three main campuses: Mona (Jamaica), Cave Hill (Barbados), St Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago).
>> More info >> Go to website
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| World Bank Site on Small States
Web-site on 45 developing countries with a population of 1.5 million or less, of which 41 are members of the World Bank.
>> More info >> Go to website
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Documents
| Western Indian Ocean Environment Outlook - by UNEP
One of a series of regional environmental outlooks prepared under the aegis of UNEP, includes sections on the state of the environment, policy responses and future perspectives. Based on a consultation held in Mauritius in January 1999.More |
| Caribbean Environment Outlook - by UNEP
Companion volume to the Global Environment Outlook 2000, provides an overview of the state of the environment from a regional perspective, evaluates policy responses, and highlights the priority issues that the international community should address.
For purchasing details, search for title at http://www.earthprint.com/show.htmMore |
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| FEATURES |
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CHAPTERS
Anwarul K. Chowdhury - Secretary General of SIDS Mauritius meeting