For the SIDS Global Warming presents only negatives. The melting ice caps that uncover some riches at the poles mean to the SIDS only submrgence in ocean waters. 2014 will be the year of renewed partnerships in a SIDS2014 effort leading to meetings in Apia, Samoa, August 2014.

Dear Colleagues (please circulate),

As you know, the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States will be held from 1 to 4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa, to be preceded by activities related to the conference from 28 to 30 August 2014, also in Apia, Samoa. It will focus the world’s attention on a group of countries that remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities.

A Conference website has been prepared by the SIDS 2014 Secretariat, available at www.sids2014.org

Preparatoryprocess

Several preparatory meetings are taking place throughout 2013, including national preparations and expert group meetings, following three regional meetings and an inter-regional meeting. A special accreditation process for organizations wanting to participate in the Conference and it’s preparation that are not in Consultative Status with ECOSOC. More information will be provided as decisions are made. A Global Intergovernmental Preparatory process will be launched by the President of the General Assembly at the end of 2013, with the first preparatory committee meeting to occur early in 2014. The preparatory process can be followed on the following page: www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1494.

The page available at www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1509  lists various activities undertaken by the UN system, including expert meetings and other relevant events/conferences. If you wish to have a meeting/event included on this page, please send us the details to dsd@un.org.

Partnerships for Small Island Developing States

The modality resolution adopted during the 67th session (www.sids2014.org/content/documents/186N1249102.pdf) of the General Assembly called for the “strengthening of collaborative partnerships between SIDS and the international community” as one of the important ways and means to address new and emerging challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).  At the SIDS inter-regional preparatory meeting held in Barbados, SIDS decided to recommend that the overarching theme of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States should be “the sustainable development of SIDS through genuine and durable partnerships.

The SIDS 2014 Conference website provides a “Partnerships Registry” of new and existing partnerships related to the sustainable development of SIDS, including relevant voluntary commitments from the Rio+20 Conference. It is expected that the SIDS Conference will lead to the announcements of new SIDS partnerships.

If you wish to include a Partnership in the Conference Partnerships Registry, please either 1) Register it online (address below), or 2) send us the details to dsd@un.org for inclusion

• Partnerships Registry: www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1507
• Register Partnership for SIDS 2014 Conference: www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1516

Warm regards,
Chantal Line