The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held an informal stock-taking meeting on the outcome of the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The conference took place in Apia, Samoa, from 1-4 September 2014, and the stock-taking meeting allowed UN Member States to reflect on the Conference outcome document, the 'SAMOA Pathway,' as well as the way forward.
The meeting convened on 1 October 2014, at UN headquarters in New York, US.
1 October 2014: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held an informal stock-taking meeting on the outcome of the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The conference took place in Apia, Samoa, from 1-4 September 2014, and the stock-taking meeting allowed UN Member States to reflect on the Conference outcome document, the ‘SAMOA Pathway,’ as well as the way forward. The meeting convened on 1 October 2014, at UN Headquarters in New York, US.
Martin Sajdik, Permanent Representative of Austria and ECOSOC President, chaired the meeting, and noted the many new partnerships that had formed with SIDS in Samoa. “We now need implementation at all levels,” he said, and committed ECOSOC to providing a space to nurture these partnerships.
Aliioaiga Feturi Elisaia, Permanent Representative of Samoa, suggested that the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF) could be a space for carrying transformational partnerships forward, and also called for the post-2015 development agenda to help implement the SAMOA Pathway. Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the Conference, said 100 new partnerships had been announced in Samoa, with over 300 recorded on the conference website, and they represent US$1.9 billion in financial contributions to SIDS.
Member States reflected on the conference in a panel discussion and interventions from the floor. The Alliance for Small Island States (AOSIS) said SIDS want partnerships that respect them as equal partners and are built on mutual trust, and called for viewing the SAMOA Pathway as an “action plan.” New Zealand remarked that the special needs of SIDS must be reflected in the post-2015 development agenda. Trinidad and Tobago observed that “too many UN processes lack implementation and follow-up,” and welcomed the role of ECOSOC in ensuring this accountability. Spain said the Samoa conference model focusing on partnership dialogues was a huge success, and these issues must be carried forward in the post-2015 development agenda and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes. [Wu Hongbo Statement] [Meeting Webpage] [IISD RS Coverage of Third International Conference on SIDS] [IISD RS Sources]