The Third Global Biennial Conference on Small States will convene under the theme ‘Building Resilience in Small States' and will: address the debt and financing burdens of small states, governance structures needed for building resilience, environmental resource management, and social policies that support resilience; focus on building resilience against such external shocks as natural disasters and global economic fluctuations; provide a platform for small states to share experiences and good practices; explore ways to build sustainable economic growth; and identify areas that development partners can support. It will include high-level participants from Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth governments of small states, as well as international development partners and regional organizations. A working group of Commonwealth ministers, known as the ‘Open-Ended Ministerial Working Group on Small States,' will meet prior to the conference to develop practical proposals to address the priorities of small states prior to the conference. The Working Group was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2013. In 2010, the Commonwealth initiated the Biennial Conference on Small States as a global forum to discuss policy challenges in small states. The Conference is being jointly hosted by the Government of Saint Lucia and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The twitter hashtag for the event is #CWSmallStates.  

dates: 26-27 March 2014   venue: Bay Gardens Hotel, Rodney Bay Village   location: Gros Islet, Saint Lucia   contact: Denny Lewis-Bynoe   phone: +44 (0) 20 7747 6246   e-mail: smallstatesinfo@commonwealth.int   www: http://thecommonwealth.org/media/event/third-global-biennial-conference-small-states
 http://thecommonwealth.org/media/press-release/global-forum-focus-building-resilience-small-states#sthash.5QIxBRzo.dpuf