The Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) and Hawaii Green Growth Local2030 Hub have launched a virtual platform to connect islands during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shared Island Platform on COVID-19 Response enables island stakeholders to hear challenges, ideas, solutions from each other, beginning with a series of webinars on the economic and social effects of the crisis.

The platform has been launched as part of GLISPA’s Local2030 Islands Network. It aims to enable island stakeholders to connect and provide a resource for dealing with the various dimensions of sustainable development while meeting the urgent challenges of COVID-19.

Initial platform partners include: the Hawai’i Green Growth Local2030 Hub; the Small Islands Organisation (SMILO); the UN Foundation; Green Cross France and Territories; the Commonwealth Secretariat; Sustainable Travel International; and the Pacific Island Development Program.

The first webinar will take place on 23 April 2020 on the topic of tourism, a major economic driver for islands. Topics have been selected based on interest from partners, and also include effects on agriculture and food security, and movement of residents and goods. Island colleagues are invited to complete a questionnaire on their priorities.

Local2030 Islands was launched in September 2019 to accelerate island-led SDG implementation. It was operationalized in December 2019. [Shared Island Platform on COVID-19 Response] [SDG Knowledge Hub sources]