2 November 2010: The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) concluded its consideration of sustainable development, with several States calling for special support for small island developing States (SIDS) to cope with the adverse effects of climate change, including more frequent and severe floods, typhoons and hurricanes.

India said it had contributed to the development efforts of SIDS in the spirit of South-South solidarity, helping them with capacity building, preparedness for natural disasters, adaptation to climate change and resilience enhancement. Zambia called on the international community to do more to help SIDS address the daunting challenges facing them, including climate change. Maldives underscored that SIDS are “continuously challenged by a lack of financial, technical and human resources,” noting that the global financial crisis has had a particularly significant effect on them, because of their narrow range of income-generating industries, such as tourism. The representative urged all development partners “to honour without delay” all commitments related to those countries and give them special consideration in trading arrangements because of their limited ability to integrate fully into the global economy. The Dominican Republic called on donors to make good on their funding pledges.

A number of States addressed issues pertaining to disasters and SIDS’ vulnerability to climate change. Maldives emphasized that most SIDS face significant vulnerabilities to natural disasters and climate change, underlining the need for an approach that addresses both adaptation and disaster-risk reduction simultaneously. The Dominican Republic emphasized the need to create risk-management programmes at the urban level and the importance of education as the best way to avoid human tragedies in the wake of natural disasters. Nigeria said climate change is a threat around the world, particularly to Africa and SIDS, where extreme weather conditions have “seriously diminished the hope” of combating hunger, diseases and poverty. Mexico recognized the high vulnerability of SIDS to climate change and supported an effective application of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI).

On governance, the Dominican Republic mentioned that its President had proposed that UNGA establish an alliance of countries at risk to exchange experiences and share lessons learned as a way to help them minimize their vulnerability. Maldives advocated for SIDS to be recognized formally as a special category within the UN, adding that for them, sustainable development is “not possible without accounting for their unique status.” [UN Press release]