Preparations for the 2014 International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are underway, beginning with a planning mission led by Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to Apia, Samoa, where the Conference will take place.
9 April 2013: Preparations for the 2014 International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are underway, beginning with a planning mission led by Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to Apia, Samoa, where the Conference will take place.
To support SIDS youth participation in the Conference, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a youth network, called “My World, My SIDS.” Following an application process, youth will be selected to present their opinions at the 2013 regional and inter-regional preparatory meetings. The youth participants will address the sustainable development of SIDS in the context of the post-2015 development agenda.
In addition, on 20 March the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) held a discussion of the needs, vulnerabilities, and special circumstances of SIDS. Areas identified as particularly important were: the stability of the global climate and financial systems; implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA); and differentiation of resources and support.
Dates for the Conference have yet to be set by the UN General Assembly (UNGA). [UNESCO Press Release] [CDP Meeting Information] [DESA Press Release] [UNICEF Press Release] [Conference Website]