27 March 2012: A UN inter-agency assessment of sustainable development efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) over the past 20 years identifies advances and gaps specific to the Caribbean small island developing States (SIDS).

Caribbean SIDS are the focus of a special chapter of the broader report titled “Sustainable development 20 years on from the Earth Summit: progress, gaps and strategic guidelines for Latin America and the Caribbean,” presented at a side event held at UN Headquarters in New York, US, during the Third Intersessional Meeting of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

The chapter first looks at key aspects of Caribbean SIDS’ the implementation of their commitments emanating from the 1992 Earth Summit, namely the national sustainable development strategies (NSDS) and ratification and implementation progress of the Rio Conventions, namely the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD. It then examines seven issues of special concern to SIDS, namely: economic challenges; capacity constraints; international cooperation; freshwater resources, water management and sea level rise (SLR); waste management and chemicals; coastal and marine resources and biodiversity; and natural disaster threats.

Among economic challenges, the report cites dependence on fuel imports, high energy intensity rates and budgetary constraints. Among capacity constraints, the report notes policy segmentation by sector, dependence on outside expertise, incomplete data and limited availability of quantitative tools for effective monitoring. Regarding international cooperation, the report discusses the difficulties in getting aid caused by most Caribbean SIDS being classified as middle income countries.

On water and SLR, the report observes most Caribbean SIDS are dependent on a single source of water supply, which may be under stress from climate change, saltwater intrusion due to SLR, and high consumption rates prevalent in the tourism industry. On waste and chemicals, the report highlights a shortage of investment in sewage and wastewater facilities, high incidence of eutrophication, marine litter, unmanaged wastes from the tourism sector, improper or unsafe disposal of hazardous industrial waste, and lack of regulations and inventories.

On coastal/marine resources and biodiversity, the report notes increases in marine protected areas (MPAs) among Caribbean SIDS, but that only a small percentage of these have a development management plan. It also discusses the proposals by Caribbean countries to seek international recognition of the Caribbean Sea as a special area in the context of sustainable development. Lastly, on natural disasters, the report acknowledges the high risk and vulnerability of Caribbean SIDS to hurricanes, flooding, drought and earthquakes. It underscores recent steps taken, such as the creation of the Caribbean Disasters Emergency Management Agency and special insurance schemes.

The preparation of the report was coordinated by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and included contributions from a variety of UN entities, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the UN Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO, as the regional representative of the World Health Organization (WHO). [ECLAC Press Release] [Publication: Sustainable Development 20 Years on from the Earth Summit: Progress, Gaps and Strategic Guidelines for Latin America and the Caribbean] [UN Press Release]