Role of partnerships for Small Island Developing States
On 22 September, the first annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue was held focusing on the launch of new partnerships devoted to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the launch of a new publication “Partnerships on Small Island Developing States 2016.” Following this event, we asked Ola Göransson, Partnerships Coordinator in UN DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, about the role of partnerships and some of the new pledges made in support of SIDS.
Why are partnerships so crucial for sustainable development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)?
“The way multi-stakeholder partnerships have been leveraged to facilitate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in SIDS reflect a shift in how stakeholders work together and could offer a model for other multilateral development efforts.
Partnership as means of implementation and as a vehicle for supporting government-led actions in realizing sustainable development has increasingly been recognized through UN summits, conferences and outcomes since the turn of the century.
Member States also recognized this in 2014 at The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS Conference) by making the overarching theme of the conference “The sustainable development of SIDS through genuine and durable partnerships”.
The world is stronger when we work together and pool resources and expertise together. Genuine and durable partnerships are essential to successful implementation of both the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This is especially the case for SIDS, which face a set of unique challenges when it comes to sustainable development: such as small size, geographic isolation, and high vulnerability to environmental impacts. Whether in the face of sudden onset events or the day-to-day implementation of SDGs, SIDS cannot make the progress needed without close cooperation between donors and recipients. The task is too complex and dynamic to be left to one-size-fits-all approaches.
Success requires close cooperation so that both partners understand each other’s expectations and constraints and the specific knowledge needed to adjust to local circumstances.”
What is the SIDS Partnership Framework and what role does it play for SIDS?
“At the SIDS Conference in 2014, we witnessed the formation of over 300 partnerships devoted to the sustainable development of SIDS. More importantly however, was the realization by Member States that the Conference should not be the end of this process, but the beginning.
This realization was enshrined in the call for the development of a SIDS Partnership Framework, which a year later was formally established by the General Assembly. The mere establishment of an inter-governmentally driven framework for follow-up and review of multi-stakeholder partnerships is first of its kind at the United Nations, and itself a tribute to multilateralism at its best.
The SIDS Partnership framework should be seen as a lighthouse when looking at successful models for both engaging various actors in driving sustainable development, as well for reviewing its work, moving towards a more sustainable future in all countries.”
In 2014, around 300 new partnerships were generated by the SIDS Conference. A new publication has just been released, “Partnerships on Small Island Developing States 2016,” reviewing some of these partnerships. What are some of the main findings of this new report?
“The publication reviews 40 partnerships devoted to the sustainable development of SIDS. Although most of these partnerships are on track with their activities, the most common challenge relates to receiving adequate and sustained funding.
Geographic distance and remoteness of SIDS also pose a significant challenge for partnerships, which often leads to increased transaction and travel costs, as well limits communication abilities with partners and stakeholders, and limited access to internet in rural areas.
Socio-cultural differences and sensitivities, as well language barriers, among SIDS, and in particular in rural areas, have also in some cases hindered progress, as have certain country specific political risks, such as change in government and political uncertainty after and before national elections.
A successful partnership relies on broad engagement with all sectors of society and its surrounding communities and people. The above mentioned challenges have in some cases hindered this type of engagement, which poses a particular challenge for the continuation of partnerships in SIDS. This, in turn, makes it particularly difficult to engage the private sector, which is driven by long term financial rewards, rather than limited short term project
Upon reviewing the work of SIDS partnerships through the publication, it is clear that there is much work being done across all regions of SIDS through many innovation partnership arrangements, as well many challenges to overcome.
The SIDS Partnership Framework, will continue to provide a global platform for reviewing challenges and lessons learnt of SIDS partnerships, encourage reporting by all stakeholders in order to monitor and ensure the full implementation of pledges and commitments through partnerships for SIDS, promote effective and efficient follow-up to existing partnerships, as well be a springboard for launching new, genuine and durable partnerships for the sustainable development of SIDS.”
New commitments continue to be announced in support of SIDS. What are examples of some of the most recent pledges that have been made and what do they aim to accomplish?
“Japan has recently announced the establishment of the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), the result of a partnership between Japan and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Centre, located at the campus of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme in Samoa, will be a regional hub of excellence for coordination of climate change initiatives in the Pacific region. It will bring together SPREP members and partners, including peer agencies from the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific with researchers, scientists and scholars. The PCCC will be a hub for sharing of information and coordination of actions to help Pacific island countries and territories address the vast challenges of climate change they now face.
UNIDO has announced that the preparatory process for the establishment of a partnership launched at the SIDS Conference in 2014 between UNIDO, SIDS DOCK and the government of Austria – the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) – had been finalized.
The Centre will be inaugurated at the margins of the meeting of the Pacific Ministers of Energy and Transport, in April 2017, in Nukuʻalofa, Kingdom of Tonga. The Centre will support the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) in the mitigation of existing barriers for the creation of sustainable energy markets. It will support the strengthening of local capacities for the development and implementation of sustainable energy systems, policies and standards. It will empower the local private sector and industry to take advantage of the growing sustainable energy market opportunities. The promotion of south-south and north-south partnerships for technology and knowledge transfer will be a core activity of the Centre.
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has recently completed mapping of all the 300+ partnerships launched at the SIDS Conference in 2014. Out of all partnerships, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat will focus on monitoring a total of 74 partnerships in the Pacific region; ensuring commitments of those partnerships are well integrated into the Pacific SDGs Roadmap, National Development Plans and the Framework for Pacific Regionalism.
The SIDS Action Platform continues to be a place for announcing and following up on partnerships devoted to the sustainable development of SIDS.”
For more information:
Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue
Publication: Partnerships on Small Island Developing States 2016
