9 May 2011: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) circulated an advance, unedited version of the Report of the Secretary-General, titled “Integrated analysis of United Nations system support to Small Island Developing States,” ahead of its 2011 substantive session.

The report of the Secretary-General was requested by ECOSOC and the General Assembly in September 2010, at the five-year high-level review of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation (MSI) of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (BPoA). The outcome of that review called on the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive review of, and examine ways to enhance, coherence and coordination of UN support for small island developing States (SIDS), and to make concrete recommendations in this regard.

In the section on Analysis of UN System Support to SIDS, the report looks at: mandates, institutional issues, financial contribution, and how the UN provides support to SIDS through its four main domains – normative, capacity-building, analytical and coordinating.

In the section on Issues for Consideration, the report offers recommendations on how UN support for SIDS could be more targeted, efficient and effective.

The report finds that the delivery of coordinated and coherence programmes for the implementation of the MSI leaves room for improvement.

Its seven recommendations address: mainstreaming of SIDS’ issues into the work of the UN system; coordination and coherence of support to SIDS by UN entities; effective institutional support for SIDS, including strengthening the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) SIDS Unit; knowledge management, including strengthening SIDSnet and other websites dedicated to SIDS’ specific issues; ensuring SIDS have a strong, collective voice at the global level; working in partnership by harnessing processes such as the National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA), Common Country Assessment (CCA) and UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF); and continuing analytical work to help make a stronger case in favor of SIDS in various climate change, economic and trade fora.

ECOSOC’s substantive session will convene in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 2011. [Publication: Integrated Analysis of United Nations System Support to Small Island Developing States] [Publication: Report of the Secretary-General: Integrated Analysis of United Nations System Support to Small Island Developing States, E/2011/110]