UN officials, Member States, business leaders and other stakeholders shared experiences and considered the creation of a SIDS Global Business Network, at the two-day Private Sector Partnerships Forum, which convened ahead of the Third International Conference on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS).
31 August 2014: UN officials, Member States, business leaders and other stakeholders shared experiences and considered the creation of a SIDS Global Business Network, at the two-day Private Sector Partnerships Forum, which convened ahead of the Third International Conference on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). The conference is taking place on 1-4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa.
The pre-conference Private Sector Partnerships Forum provided a platform for partnerships to be developed, strengthened and announced in support of the implementation efforts of SIDS sustainable development priorities. The event was organized jointly by the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), the Government of Samoa, and the Samoa Chamber of Commerce.
Sessions and panel discussions focused on, inter alia, oceans and marine resources, connectivity, sustainable agriculture, sustainable tourism, disaster risk reduction, renewable energy, and financing and support measures for a sustainable private sector in SIDS. A high-level dialogue sought to determine options for creating an enabling environment.
Hundreds of private sector representatives attended, including from Philips Lighting, Digicel, The Body Shop and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Google teamed up with National Geographic Society and the Waitt Foundation, along with other partners, to inspire care of the oceans under the banner “Mission Blue.” In addition to businesses, the forum included representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Caribbean Development Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), among others. The high-level dialogue was attended by UN General Assembly President John Ashe, the Prime Minister of Samoa, the Foreign Minister of Australia, the EU Commissioner for Development, and other public and private sector representatives.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged partnerships between the private sector and SIDS, urging corporate leaders to invest in renewable energy and make “historic” strides in sustainability, highlighting in particular the role of renewable energy to help cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while also making countries less dependent on expensive imported fuel. He told representatives of business and industry that they have a collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable.
Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), underlined some key regional policy instruments: The Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA), which, once in full force, will provide an essential platform for intra-regional trade integration driven by the private sector; the Forum Compact’s peer review system, under which the private sector is now being involved in the assessment of national development plans; and the Comprehensive Trade Policy Frameworks that is being developed for the Pacific island countries and supported through a broader Aid for Trade strategy.
The partnership commitments formed during the Forum will be included in the overall partnerships to be announced at the end of the SIDS Conference on 4 September. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [UN Press Release, 30 August] [UN Press Release, 31 August] [PIFS Press Release]