11 May 2011: The High-level Segment of the 19th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 19) opened on 11 May 2011, in New York, US. Two political groups made statements reflecting the situation of small island developing States (SIDS).

Argentina, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (G77/China), said that the CSD provides a “key avenue” to fill the many remaining gaps in implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the BPOA (MSI). She said the CSD could support SIDS, most of which are members of the G77/China, in the definition of special goals, benchmarks and targets to allow them to measure their progress in achieving sustainable development. She noted the “inextricable link between the CSD and the UN’s mandate” in respect of SIDS, and outlined specific ways the five thematic areas of CSD 19 affect SIDS. On transport, SIDS require climate-resilient infrastructure to improve their access to their own subregions and the outside world. She concluded that SIDS issues must have an important place on the CSD agenda.

Barbados, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), said implementing the BPOA and MSI remain critical, as they are the blueprints for the sustainable development of SIDS. He noted that the CSD is the primary body for their implementation, and said there is inadequate commitment by the international community to these efforts. Highlighting SIDS’ specific needs under each thematic area of CSD 19, he noted that the international community could help those SIDS with significant extractive industries to manage them and improve their capacity to negotiate with transnational corporations. On the 10-year framework of programmes (10YFP) on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), he said SCP programmes must be assessed on the basis of national priorities. The most significant cross-cutting issue to SIDS, he said, is the growing threat of climate change. The recent five-year review of the MSI proved that the negative impacts of climate change threaten to undermine decades of progress in SIDS’ development of national and regional frameworks for sustainable development.

In closing, the representative said SIDS “are not prepared any longer to engage in an exercise that simply reaffirms the status quo and focuses solely on a negotiating text.” Instead, AOSIS expects its development partners to come to the table with concrete plans to collaborate with SIDS to support their development efforts. [Statement by Argentina on behalf of G77/China] [Statement by Barbados on behalf of AOSIS] [All Statements at Opening Session of CSD 19 High-level Segment]