10 May 2010: On 10 May 2010, delegates at the 18th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 18) considered the CSD 18 thematic topics as they relate to small island developing States (SIDS) and conducted a review of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Implementation (MSI) of the Barbados Plan of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS (PrepCom for MSI+5).
Delegates’ discussions were guided by the Secretary-General’s report on the Review of the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy (E/CN.17/2010/9). A number of speakers discussed issues related to the climate change negotiations, with Grenada, for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), stressing the need to: adopt a legally-binding instrument at the Cancun Climate Change Conference at the end of 2010; address the security and human dimensions of climate change; and consider the establishment of SIDS as a special category within the UN system. Spain, for the EU, described the EU’s commitment of US$30 million under the Fast Start climate initiative. In addition, Tuvalu, for Pacific SIDS, said the Security Council should take up the security implications of climate change, and India indicated that it looked forward to the results of the vulnerability-resilience methodology being developed by DESA, and highlighted that it has committed project aid of US$70 million to SIDS.
At the end of the day, delegates reviewed the proposed agenda for MSI+5, scheduled to convene on 24-25 September 2010. They also examined and adopted a draft resolution on the organization for MSI+5. CSD 18 is meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, US, from 3-14 May 2010. Agenda items in addition to SIDS Day include: chemicals; hazardous waste; transport; mining; and sustainable consumption and production patterns. [IISD RS Coverage] [DSD CSD 18 Website]