SIDS: Decisions of the GA and CSD
Resolutions of the General Assembly
Decisions of the Commission on
Sustainable Development
Commission on
Sustainable Development, 7th Session
New York, 19-30 April 1999
Report of the CSD acting as preparatory body for
the special session of the General Assembly for
the review and appraisal of the implementation
of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of SIDS
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Commission on
Sustainable Development, 6th Session
New York, 13 April - 1 May 1998
Decision 6/4. Review of the implementation of
the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States
A. Overall considerations
- The Commission on Sustainable Development
takes note of the reports of the
Secretary-General on progress in the
implementation of the Programme of Action for
the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States27 and on development of a
vulnerability index for small island developing
States.28
- The Commission recalls the decision of the
General Assembly at its nineteenth special
session on the modalities for the full and
comprehensive review of the Programme of Action
for the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States.29 In particular, the
Commission notes the importance of the two-day
special session to be convened immediately
preceding the fifty-fourth session of the
General Assembly, in 1999, for an in-depth
assessment and appraisal of the implementation
of the Programme of Action, as reaffirmed in
General Assembly resolution 52/202 of 18
December 1997.
- The Commission urges small island developing
States to continue and enhance their
preparations for the seventh session of the
Commission and the 1999 special session, and
calls upon the international community, United
Nations agencies and intergovernmental bodies to
provide assistance to small island developing
States for practical and concrete actions.
Noting the work already begun by the small
island developing States and regional
organizations and institutions in that regard,
the Commission invites the international
community, United Nations agencies and
intergovernmental bodies to support regional
initiatives and to collaborate in partnership
with the regional organizations and institutions
to speed up preparations for the review.
- In the light of paragraph 24 of the
Programme for the Further Implementation of
Agenda 21,30 the Commission encourages all small
island developing States to put in place
national sustainable development strategies that
take into account the links between economic,
social and environmental indicators and policies
on an ongoing basis, and invites bilateral
donors and United Nations agencies and
organizations, as well as the United Nations
Development Programme and the World Bank, to
join in the promotion of coordinated
capacity-building programmes to support the
development and implementation of national,
subregional and regional strategies. The
implementation of strategies for sustainable
development will be primarily the responsibility
of small island developing States, with the
essential support of the international
community. The Commission urges proper
consideration of the need for capacity-building
to develop and implement strategies for
sustainable development at the proposed donors?
conference.
- The Commission reaffirms the important
coordinating role played by the Department of
Economic and Social Affairs of the United
Nations Secretariat and its efforts to assist
small island developing States with the review
process, and calls on the Department to remain
actively involved in the preparatory process
leading up to the special session, including
effective coordination with all relevant sectors
of the international community in taking any
necessary measures to provide support and
assistance to small island developing States.
- The donors? conference on small island
developing States to be held in early 1999 is
welcomed as a useful forum for assistance in the
pursuit of small island States? sustainable
development objectives, and the Commission
encourages all small island States to fully
utilize the donors? conference to that end. The
Commission recommends that the envisaged donors?
conference consider proposed project portfolios
that reflect progress to implement the relevant
components of the Programme of Action. The
international donor community is urged to engage
actively with small island developing States
during the conference to achieve realistic and
positive outcomes and concrete assistance for
all small island developing States, including
the sharing of updated information on current
donor activities in support of the sustainable
development of small island developing States.
The Secretary-General?s preparations for the
donors? conference will also need to take
account of and work with ongoing national and
regional round-table and consultative groups.
- The Programme of Action recognizes that
small island developing States are a special
case for both environment and development
because they are ecologically fragile and
vulnerable, and because they face particular
constraints in their efforts to achieve
sustainable development. In that regard, the
Commission recalls that the international
community reaffirmed its commitment to the
implementation of the Programme of Action at the
nineteenth special session of the General
Assembly.29 It was also noted at the special
session that the considerable efforts being made
at the national and regional levels need to be
supplemented by effective financial support from
the international community, and by facilitating
the transfer of environmentally sound
technologies in accordance with paragraph 34.14
(b) of Agenda 21.31 The Commission notes that
the support of the international community is
vital. The 1999 overall review of the
implementation of the Programme of Action should
include an assessment of changes in the
financial resource flows to small island
developing States, both overall and by sector,
including private as well as public resources.
That review will help to determine whether the
international community is providing effective
means, including adequate, predictable, new and
additional resources for the implementation of
the Programme of Action in accordance with
chapter 33 of Agenda 21.32
- The Commission calls upon national
Governments, or regional intergovernmental
organizations, as appropriate, to help ensure
effective coordination of donor and recipient
government efforts, which is a basic
prerequisite for successful development
assistance.
B. Climate change and sea level rise
- The Commission recalls the well-recognized
vulnerability of small island developing States
to global climate change, and the likelihood
that accompanying sea level rise will have
severe and negative effects on the environment,
biological diversity, economy and
infrastructures of small island developing
States and on the health and welfare of their
peoples. It recognizes that the ability of small
island developing States to respond to the
threat of climate change is hampered by the lack
of institutional, scientific and technical
capacity, as well as by the lack of financial
resources.
- The Commission recognizes the need to
strengthen the response capability of small
island developing States by education, training
and public awareness-raising, and through
regional and international cooperation. The
Commission urges the international community to
commit adequate financial and technical
resources and assistance to help small island
developing States in their ongoing efforts at
the national and regional levels to build
effective response measures, and to strengthen
their institutional and human resources capacity
to cope with the effects of climate change and
sea level rise. The Commission calls on the
international community to commit appropriate
and additional support for the regional
organizations and institutions to strengthen
their effectiveness, in particular in support
for ongoing regional assessments of probable
environmental changes and impacts, mitigation
and adaptation strategies; development and
dissemination of guidelines for coastal
protection and management as well as in other
relevant areas; use and substitution of new and
renewable sources of energy; and in the
capacity-building programmes of the regional
organizations and institutions.
- The Commission notes that climate change
will also have socio-economic consequences for
small island developing States, and encourages
them, in collaboration with regional
organizations and institutions, to undertake
integrated assessment studies of the effects of
global warming and sea level rise on
socio-economic issues, including population
concentration and location infrastructure, food
security, and effects on human health and
culture.
- The Commission notes that there is a
critical need to further scientific and
technical studies and research on the climate
change phenomenon and its impacts in relation to
small island developing States, and calls on the
international community to continue to undertake
and to assist small island developing States in
such studies and research.
- The Commission welcomes the adoption and the
opening for signature of the Kyoto Protocol to
the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, and urges the international
community, and in particular Annex 1 Parties to
the Convention, to become Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol as soon as possible in order to
facilitate its early entry into force.
C. Management of wastes
- The Commission notes the difficulties and
constraints confronting small island developing
States in the management of wastes and in their
efforts to minimize and prevent pollution. The
Commission is concerned that significant work is
needed at all levels to strengthen the
capacities of small island developing States and
to implement the actions, policies and measures
identified in the Programme of Action. Since
current waste disposal problems and issues
present immediate challenges to island
communities, the Commission calls on the
international community to support the efforts
of small island developing States in the
development of effective institutional capacity
to cope with those issues.
- The Commission takes note that one of the
main obstacles for small island developing
States is the lack of an integrated or
comprehensive approach to waste management
strategies, and encourages Governments of small
island developing States to focus appropriate
priority on building integrated and
environmentally sound waste management
strategies and policies that involve all sectors
and industries.
- The Commission recognizes the ongoing work
that is being undertaken by the United Nations
system and by regional organizations and
institutions in this process, and supports the
continuation of such work in an integrated
manner across small island developing States
regions. Noting the important role played by the
regional bodies in developing and coordinating
regional waste management programmes, which
often provide the framework for national action,
the Commission encourages regional cooperation
within respective small island developing States
regions for the establishment of regional
coordinating mechanisms for waste management in
those regions where none currently exist, and
calls on the international community and the
United Nations system to continue to provide
appropriate support for those efforts.
- Noting that waste and pollution from ships,
in particular the potential for major oil
spills, represent an important concern for small
island developing States in view of their
consequences for the marine and coastal
environment and biological diversity, the
Commission proposes that the international
community, in collaboration with regional
organizations and institutions, provide
effective support for international and regional
initiatives to protect small island developing
States regions from ship-borne wastes and
pollution, including the development of
facilities for receiving ship-borne waste in
ports. The Commission calls upon all countries
to adhere to and enforce existing International
Maritime Organization regulations.
- The Commission urges small island developing
States to give early consideration to becoming
Parties to important international agreements
that cover waste management and disposal, such
as the Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and
Their Disposal, as well as relevant regional
agreements, such as the Waigani Convention to
Ban the Importation of Hazardous and Radioactive
Wastes and to Control the Transboundary Movement
of Hazardous Wastes in the South Pacific Region.
- The Commission calls on the international
community, in particular the United Nations
system and the donor community, to continue to
support small island developing States? efforts
in this area, in particular in the development
of sound waste management infrastructure,
including through financial resources and
transfer of environmentally sound technologies;
building adequate legislative frameworks; and
the strengthening of institutional capacity.
D. Freshwater resources
- The Commission notes that for small island
developing States, the conservation and
sustainable management of freshwater resources
is fundamentally dependent on sound knowledge
and understanding of the water resources
potential, and that there is a vital link to the
management of coastal and marine resources and
waste.
- The lack of an adequate knowledge base and
ongoing monitoring programmes, often compounded
by the small size, remoteness, physical
structure and rapid urbanization of small island
developing States, exacerbates difficulties in
management and adequate supply of freshwater
resources, particularly in the smaller islands
and coral atoll communities. The Commission
encourages small island developing States, with
the vital support of the international
community, to establish and strengthen, as
appropriate, geographic information system
(GIS)-based data collection, storage, analysis
and retrieval systems, including monitoring
programmes, and appropriate institutional
frameworks, including legislation and national
coordinating mechanisms for the management of
freshwater and groundwater resources, and to
give high priority to the immediate development
and implementation of appropriate national water
action plans. The Commission notes the
importance of the World Meteorological
Organization?s World Hydrological Cycle
Observing System, in particular the Caribbean
Hydrological Cycle Observing System.
- The Commission encourages small island
developing States to develop an effective
integrated approach to freshwater management,
involving the full collaboration of all
interested stakeholders, in particular women, to
ensure the sustainable utilization of water
resources, through appropriate demand management
policies, including pricing. This should include
cross-sectoral planning and cooperation between
relevant sectors and industries, such as land
and waste management, tourism, and industrial
and other sectors, as well as the active
participation of the private sector and local
communities. The Commission encourages
Governments of small island developing States to
prioritize public awareness programmes in
efforts to promote environmentally sustainable
use of freshwater and coastal waters.
- The Commission notes the importance of
regional and interregional cooperation on
freshwater issues, and recommends greater
cooperation and exchange of technical
information, monitoring and modelling
methodologies, and expertise within and among
small island developing States regions in
further efforts to promote sound water
management programmes for the benefit of small
island developing States. The international
community is urged to support the efforts of
small island developing States, including the
implementation of GIS-based information and data
systems and training programmes for key
personnel.
- Noting the ongoing work of United Nations
agencies, in particular the United Nations
Environment Programme, the United Nations
Development Programme and the World Bank, in
their assistance programmes to small island
developing States within the context of
implementation of the Programme of Action, the
Commission encourages the continuation of those
efforts in conjunction with the regional
organizations and institutions. The Commission
calls on the international community to continue
to provide support for regional and national
efforts to promote sound water resources
assessment and monitoring procedures, demand
management and policy frameworks, including the
transfer and development of appropriate and
cleaner production technologies for small island
developing States.
E. Land resources
- Small island developing States face special
constraints in the management of land resources,
particularly of agricultural, forestry and
mineral resources. The Commission notes the
efforts made so far at all levels in addressing
the key issues identified in the Programme of
Action, and notes in particular the significant
gaps that remain in many areas, including in the
knowledge base and understanding of the various
land-based resources potential. Recognizing the
environmental and cost impacts of land use on
other sectors, such as water and forest
resources, the Commission encourages small
island developing States to implement a
comprehensive and integrated approach to
land-use management, involving all sectors,
especially those at the community level and
relevant stakeholders, in the process.
- The Commission encourages small island
developing States to prioritize institutional
strengthening and capacity-building measures at
the national and regional levels, including the
development of national and regional legislative
frameworks and sustainable long-term land
management plans. It is essential that those be
developed from the basis of sound knowledge and
proper understanding of resources. In that
respect, the Commission calls on the
international community to continue to support
the efforts of small island developing States,
including through the provision of technical
assistance and transfer of appropriate
technologies for sustainable agriculture,
forestry and mineral development practices and
environmental impact assessments. Small island
developing States are encouraged to create
appropriate environment and resource databases,
including GIS, which would be an invaluable
basis for all aspects of land-use planning and
management, including soil erosion control, to
minimize environmental degradation, and to
continue their efforts for public awareness
programmes at all levels of society on the
benefits of a sustainable approach to land-use
practices. The international community is urged
to support the efforts of small island
developing States, including the implementation
of GIS-based information and data systems and
training programmes for key personnel.
- The Commission notes the important role
played by United Nations agencies and other
intergovernmental organizations in promoting an
improved approach to land-use management in
small island developing States. The Commission
calls on the international community to help to
strengthen the ability of existing regional
institutions to assist small island developing
States in improving their land-use management.
Where effective regional institutions do not
exist, consideration should be given to
establishing such institutions with the
assistance of the international community.
F. Biodiversity resources
- The Commission takes note of the uniqueness
and extreme fragility of biological diversity,
both terrestrial and marine, in small island
developing States, and in the light of their
capacity constraints, of the disproportionate
responsibility facing small island developing
States in the conservation of those biological
resources. It acknowledges the necessity for
further action at all levels to realize the full
implementation of the relevant parts of the
Programme of Action and the Convention on
Biological Diversity.
- Noting that a lack of appropriately
qualified and trained personnel is a significant
obstacle to the vital management of those
natural resources, the Commission encourages
small island developing States to set a high
priority on national technological and human
capacity-building within strong institutional
frameworks to address that imbalance. Small
island developing States are encouraged to put
in place effective conservation measures for the
protection of biological diversity, with
particular emphasis on management and effective
monitoring and control of existing activities
that may have serious environmental
consequences, such as deforestation,
unsustainable agricultural practices and
overfishing.
- The Commission notes the importance of
regional cooperation in the conservation of
biological diversity, and encourages small
island developing States to develop strong
national, regional and interregional networks
for cooperation at all levels of biodiversity
conservation, including the exchange of data and
expertise. Noting ongoing regional programmes in
some small island developing States for the
designation of conservation areas, the
Commission urges those small island developing
States that have not done so to designate and
develop terrestrial and marine protected areas
at an early stage for the conservation of
biological diversity with the goal of long-term
ecological sustainability.
- The Commission notes ongoing work and
programmes currently being implemented by small
island developing States and by the
international and regional organizations, and
urges the international community to continue to
provide support to small island developing
States for national and regional
capacity-building in their efforts for the
conservation and sustainable use of those
important natural resources. In particular, the
Commission recommends that international support
include technical assistance in the development
of legislative and regulatory frameworks,
technology transfer and appropriate training
programmes. International support should also
include technical assistance in the development
of measures to establish intellectual property
rights within the context of protection of
biodiversity resources, and the Commission notes
the development of programmes to assist
developing countries in this area.
- Given the important role of small island
developing States as custodians of a significant
proportion of the world?s biological diversity,
the Commission stresses the importance of
enabling small island developing States to
participate in the global negotiation processes
on biological diversity. In that regard, the
Commission notes the significance of the Trust
Fund under the Convention on Biological
Diversity in supporting the participation of
developing countries, including small island
developing States.
G. National institutions and administrative
capacity
- The Commission notes that the process of
building institutional and administrative
capacity for the effective achievement of
sustainable development is a complex process,
and that for small island developing States,
efforts have been hampered by a severe lack of
financial and technical resources and skills.
The Commission urges the international community
to assist small island developing States in
strengthening their national institutional
frameworks, including ? where they do not exist
? the establishment, with adequate staff and
resources, of national coordinating mechanisms
for the coordination of sustainable development
policies and action plans.
- The Commission encourages small island
developing States that have not done so to enact
the necessary legislative and administrative
frameworks that will provide the basis of their
national strategies and activities for
sustainable development, including enhanced
inter-agency cooperation and effective
integration of environmental considerations in
economic decision-making, and calls on the
international community to assist their efforts
in building national capacity through effective
institutional and administrative reforms.
- The Commission recognizes that small island
developing States suffer from a lack of
adequately skilled human resources. It also
notes the importance of a highly skilled and
effectively trained human resources base in the
effective implementation and enforcement of
sustainable development policies and measures.
The Commission therefore calls on the
international community and the United Nations
system to continue to provide concrete
assistance to small island developing States by
providing appropriate training opportunities for
both men and women and capacity-building
programmes at all levels, such as the United
Nations Development Programme Capacity 21
programme, to enable effective national
implementation of sustainable development
strategies, especially in the context of the
Programme of Action.
- The Commission encourages regional and
subregional cooperation in this area, in
particular in the sharing of information and
expertise on national institutional and
administrative capacity-building for the benefit
of small island developing States. The
Commission calls on the international community
to continue their support for the activities of
the regional organizations and institutions,
including through the provision of adequate
financial resources.
- The Commission expresses concern at current
trends in the levels of external assistance for
small island developing States in national
institutions and administrative capacity, and
appeals to the international donor community to
provide assistance to small island developing
States at levels necessary to support the
implementation of the Programme of Action.
H. Regional institutions and technical
cooperation
- The Commission recognizes the necessity for
regional organizations and institutions to play
a strong and effective role in the
implementation of the Programme of Action in
small island developing States regions. Small
island developing States are encouraged to
increase their cooperation and support for
regional organizations and institutions. The
Commission notes that effective programme
delivery will be enhanced through the continued
clear identification of national priorities. The
Commission notes that the work of existing
regional organizations and institutions may need
to be strengthened or supplemented where gaps
are identified.
- The Commission encourages existing regional
organizations and institutions to continue their
efforts to enhance their own effectiveness and
delivery of services, including through focused
and sustainable outcomes, increased regional and
subregional cooperation and joint sharing of
activities, and calls on the international
community to support those efforts. The
Commission calls on the regional organizations
and institutions to enact appropriate screening
measures before programme delivery to ensure
that their work programmes and activities
realistically target the needs and priorities of
small island developing States. The Commission
also invites regional organizations to monitor
programme effectiveness.
- The Commission views with concern the
absence of permanent regional coordinating
mechanisms in some regions of small island
developing States, and invites States concerned
to identify the most appropriate and effective
means for addressing that situation.
I. Science and technology
- The Commission recognizes the lack of
skilled and qualified scientific and technical
personnel in small island developing States
owing to small populations and lack of adequate
educational and training facilities, and
encourages small island developing States to
accord high priority to science and technical
education opportunities and programmes at all
levels of development, including the
strengthening of support for national and
regional educational institutions. It would be
desirable for small island developing States to
collaborate at the regional and subregional
levels to share resources and information,
including traditional and indigenous knowledge,
in the development of sound networks among
scientific personnel. Small island developing
States are also encouraged to promote a
comprehensive approach and to support the
strengthened linkages between educational and
research institutions and all other sectors, and
to actively engage the private sector in support
for science development.
- The Commission urges the international
community to enhance international cooperation
in the development and promotion of relevant
environmentally sound technologies applicable to
small island developing States, and ? where
appropriate ? to make that a component of
regional and international projects. The
international community is encouraged to take
necessary steps to facilitate the transfer of
appropriate technologies to small island
developing States, wherever appropriate, and to
actively assist small island developing States
in establishing regional centres for
capacity-building and training. Noting the
measures undertaken by the United Nations
agencies in assisting small island developing
States with the development of scientific
resources, the international community and
regional organizations and institutions are
urged to take necessary measures for supporting
small island developing States to implement
active and effective science educational
programmes.
- The regional organizations and institutions
are encouraged to better promote appropriate
science and technology training programmes at
the community level in small island developing
States, and to share information, including the
establishment and maintenance of information and
databases on new and innovative technologies
appropriate to small island developing States.
Furthermore, regional organizations and
institutions are encouraged to develop and
deploy information systems using appropriate
technologies, such as remotely sensed data, GIS
and the Internet/Intranet, as the delivery
mechanism.
J. Human resources development
- The limited human resources and other
constraints facing small island developing
States and the difficulties that those
constraints exert on their sustainable
development objectives are recognized. The
Commission acknowledges the efforts by small
island developing States and the progress made,
and encourages them to continue to accord high
priority to the comprehensive development of a
strong and effective human resources base in all
fields and across all sectors, giving particular
attention to building health standards and care,
development of education with specific
environmental components and awareness-raising,
the empowerment of women, and the provision of
adequate training opportunities for all sectors.
The establishment of incentive measures would
help to retain key personnel in the public
sector. Human resources development is an
essential component in building the
institutional capacity of small island
developing States for delivering sustainable
development.
- The Commission calls on regional
organizations and institutions to enhance their
support for small island developing States in
the area of human resources development by
specifically targeting the human resources needs
of small island developing States in regional
development programmes, including through the
provision of practical, effective and specific
training opportunities. The regional
organizations and institutions are urged to
assist small island developing States in
systematically identifying their needs and
priorities and to give adequate effect to those
needs in project planning for development.
Greater regional and subregional cooperation is
encouraged for the joint sharing of resources,
technologies and expertise, as well as at
bilateral and multilateral levels.
- The Commission notes the work undertaken by
United Nations agencies, intergovernmental
organizations and donors to address human
resources needs of small island developing
States in their funds and programmes, and
invites them to continue to give priority to
human resources development.
- The Commission expresses concern at current
trends in the levels of external assistance for
small island developing States in human
resources development, and appeals to the
international donor community to provide
assistance to small island developing States at
levels necessary to support implementation of
the Programme of Action.
- The Commission recognizes the importance of
the Small Island Developing States Technical
Assistance Programme and the Small Island
Developing States Information Network in the
overall implementation of the Programme of
Action, and noting the ongoing efforts of the
United Nations Development Programme to
operationalize the two programmes, encourages
the continuation of those efforts, in
cooperation with Governments of small island
developing States. The Commission further notes
that the unavailability or insufficiency of
financial resources is a main obstacle to the
full and early operationalization of those
programmes, especially of the Information
Network, and invites the relevant organizations
and the international community to provide
support for their proper development.
K. Vulnerability index
- The Commission recalls that a vulnerability
index that takes account of the constraints
arising from small size and environmental
fragility, as well as the incidence of natural
disasters on a national scale, and the
consequent relationship of those constraints to
economic vulnerability, would assist in defining
the vulnerability of small island developing
States and in identifying the challenges to
their sustainable development. The Commission
notes the progress made on the index to date.
- The Commission takes note of the report of
the ad hoc expert group meeting on vulnerability
indices for small island developing States,33
and of its conclusion that as a group, small
island developing States are more vulnerable
than other groups of developing countries.
- The Commission recalls General Assembly
resolutions 52/202 and 52/210 of 18 December
1997, as well as resolution 51/183 of 16
December 1996, in which the Assembly requested
the Committee for Development Planning,34 at its
thirty-second session, to formulate its views
and recommendations on the report to be prepared
by the Secretary-General on the vulnerability
index for small island developing States, and to
submit those views to the General Assembly at
its fifty-third session, through the Economic
and Social Council, and to make the information
available to the Commission. The Commission
looks forward to the report of the Committee.
- The Commission calls on the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development, the United
Nations Environment Programme, the regional
commissions, the Department of Economic and
Social Affairs and other relevant bodies of the
United Nations system, as well as other relevant
actors, to accord priority to the continuation
of the quantitative and analytical work on the
vulnerability of small island developing States,
in keeping with the provisions of the Programme
of Action and General Assembly resolutions
52/202 and 52/210.
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development,
5th Session
New York, 7-25 April 1997
Resolution 5/1. Modalities for the full and
comprehensive review of the Programme of Action
for the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States
The Commission on Sustainable Development,
Recalling its decision 4/16 on the review of
the implementation of the Programme of Action
for the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States,1 in which, inter alia, it was
stated that in the context of the special
session of the General Assembly to be convened
in 1997 to review the overall implementation of
Agenda 21,2 specific modalities would be
recommended by the Commission for the full
review of the Programme of Action in 1999,
Recalling paragraph 117 of the Programme of
Action, in which Governments call for the
Commission on Sustainable Development to
include, in the context of the full review of
the Programme of Action, the question of
convening a second global conference in
accordance with chapter 17, section G of Agenda
21,
Recognizing also the important coordinating
role of the Department for Policy Coordination
and Sustainable Development of the United
Nations Secretariat in implementing the
Programme of Action,
Having examined the report of the
Secretary-General on implementation of the
Programme of Action (E/CN.17/1997/14) and the
recommendations that it contains concerning the
modalities for the full review of the Programme
of Action in 1999,
Stressing the importance of including in the
full review in 1999 the vulnerability index
being developed by the United Nations,
- Recognizes the need to review outstanding
chapters of the Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States prior to its full review in
1999;
- Urges the task managers within the
Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable
Development of the Commission on Sustainable
Development and the Small Island Developing
States Unit of the Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development of the
United Nations Secretariat to prepare reports on
the outstanding chapters of the Programme of
Action for consideration by the Commission's Ad
Hoc Inter-sessional Working Group at its meeting
scheduled for 1998;
- Decides that it will undertake the review of
all the outstanding chapters and issues of the
Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States at
its sixth session, in 1998;
- Encourages Governments and participants at
the high-level meeting of the Commission at its
sixth session to address, inter alia, matters
related to the sustainable development of small
island developing States;
- Urges all Governments, regional
intergovernmental bodies or similar
arrangements, relevant United Nations
organizations, bodies and agencies of the United
Nations system and major groups identified in
Agenda 21 to commence preparations for the full
review and comprehensive assessment of progress
made in the implementation of the Programme of
Action since its adoption at Bridgetown,
Barbados, in 1994 by the Global Conference on
the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States;
- Recommends that the General Assembly convene
a two-day special session immediately preceding
its fifty-fourth session for an in-depth
assessment and appraisal of the implementation
of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States;
- Decides that the Commission on Sustainable
Development will carry out the full review of
the Programme of Action within its approved
programme of work at its seventh session. That
review will be considered as the preparatory
process for the special session of the General
Assembly recommended in paragraph 6 above;
- Decides that the preparatory process for its
seventh session, within its agreed format and
programme, shall assist the Commission in
carrying out the review and appraisal of the
Programme of Action.
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development,
4th Session
New York, 18 April - 3 May 1996
Decision 4/16. Review of the implementation of
the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States*/
A. Overall considerations
- The Commission recalls that the Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States, held in 1994,
adopted the Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States to promote concrete action at
the national, regional and international levels
in 15 priority areas, with provisions for an
initial review in 1996. The Commission notes
that its recommendations are complementary to
those contained in the Programme of Action. In
the context of the special session of the
General Assembly, to be convened in 1997 to
review the overall implementation of Agenda 21,
specific modalities will be recommended by the
Commission for the full review of the Programme
of Action in 1999.
- The Commission, having examined the report
of the Secretary-General on the sustainable
development of coastal areas, tourism, energy
resources, air transport, maritime transport,
telecommunications, and management of
environmental and natural disasters in small
island developing States (E/CN.17/1996/20 and
Add.1-7), the report of the Secretary-General on
current donor activities in support of
sustainable development in small island
developing States (E/CN.17/1996/21) and the
report of the High-level Panel Meeting on Island
Developing Countries
(E/CN.17/1996/IDC/3-UNCTAD/LLDC/IDC/3), and
having the benefit of the views expressed, notes
the action taken by small island developing
States at the national and regional levels to
implement the Programme of Action.
- The Commission notes the support of the
international community, and the plans and
programmes of organs, organizations and bodies
of the United Nations system to assist in the
implementation of the Programme of Action and in
the coordination and monitoring of its
implementation. The Commission welcomes the
support given by other relevant
intergovernmental organizations.
- The Commission recognizes the importance of
SIDSTAP and SIDSNET in the overall
implementation of the Programme of Action, and
encourages the United Nations Development
Programme to continue, in cooperation with
Governments, its action to operationalize the
two mechanisms.
- The Commission stresses the importance of
coordination in the area of strategy and policy
formulation and recognizes the importance of
consultation and interaction at the national,
regional and international levels. In this
context, the Commission emphasizes the role
played by the Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific, the Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean, the South
Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the
Caribbean Community.
- The Commission expresses concern at the
overall trend of declining levels of flows of
official development assistance to small island
developing States (SIDS), but notes the need for
better information on flows. The Commission
emphasizes that it is imperative that the
domestic efforts of SIDS to mobilize financial
resources for the effective implementation of
the Programme of Action are adequately supported
by the international community, as envisaged in
the provisions of the Programme of Action, in
particular those contained in paragraph 66.
Recognizing that small island developing States
are among the most environmentally vulnerable,
the Commission urges the international community
to give special priority to their situations and
needs, including through access to grants and
other concessional resources.
- The Commission notes that a vulnerability
index that takes into account the constraints
arising from small size and environmental
fragility, as well as the incidence of natural
disasters on a national scale, and the
consequent relationship of these constraints to
economic vulnerability, should bring greater
clarity to the development challenges and needs
of SIDS. The Commission notes the slow progress
on the index to date and encourages the relevant
bodies of the United Nations system to accord
priority to the development of the index, in
keeping with the provisions of the Programme of
Action and General Assembly resolution 50/116.
The Commission notes with appreciation the offer
by the Government of Malta to host the centre
for the computation of the index on an ongoing
basis.
- The Commission notes that current trends of
trade liberalization and globalization are
bringing new challenges as well as possible
opportunities to SIDS. It recommends that to
meet the new challenges and take advantage of
the new opportunities SIDS need to undertake
necessary institutional reforms; develop
responsive economic policy frameworks and human
resources in order to enhance their
competitiveness and their ability to diversify
quickly into new activities; explore cooperative
approaches for sharing information and
experience and building human and institutional
capacity. The Commission urges the international
community to recognize the inherent weaknesses
of SIDS and recommends that it provide adequate
support to SIDS to meet their adjustment costs
and their information, human development and
technology needs to enable them to sustain the
development of their exports, while maintaining
the integrity of their natural resource base.
- Recognizing the coordinating role of the
Department for Policy Coordination and
Sustainable Development in implementing the
Programme of Action, the Commission recommends
that the Secretary-General:
- Take into account the need to continue
to provide substantive secretariat support
to intergovernmental and inter-agency
processes related to the monitoring, review
and coordination of the implementation of
the Programme of Action;
- Ensure that the Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development
continues to act as a liaison and focal
point for agencies of the United Nations
system, as well as other relevant
intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations, on matters related to the
follow-up and implementation of the
Programme of Action;
- Request the Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development of
the United Nations Secretariat, in its
coordinating role, to look into the
appropriate modalities for mobilizing
resources for effective implementation of
the Programme of Action.
- The Commission stresses the important role
the private sector can play in investment for
sustainable development in SIDS, particularly in
the infrastructure and tourism sectors. This
should be based on a sustainable development
strategy that integrates economic, social and
environmental policies and regulatory frameworks
to promote appropriate private investment.
B. Climate change and sealevel rise
- The Commission recalls that SIDS are
particularly vulnerable to global climate change
and sealevel rise. Potential effects of global
climate change and sealevel rise are increased
strength and frequency of tropical storms and
inundation of some islands with loss of
exclusive economic zones, economic
infrastructure, human settlements and culture.
- The Commission welcomes the growing number
of ratifications of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and the decision
that commitments contained in article 4,
paragraph 2 (a) and (b), were inadequate to meet
the ultimate objective of the Convention.
- The Commission also calls upon the
international community to support SIDS in their
efforts to adapt to the sealevel rise that will
be experienced as a result of the impact of
greenhouse gases that have already been emitted
into the atmosphere.
C. Natural and environmental disasters
- The Commission noted that this issue was
being considered following a two-year period in
which SIDS experienced several major natural
disasters that brought catastrophes of national
proportions to these countries because of their
small size and fragile ecosystems.
- The Commission recognizes that the most
effective strategy for responding to natural
disasters is formulated through regional
cooperation as an integral part of sustainable
development frameworks, with international
support. In support of this objective the
Commission:
- Encourages the Governments of the small
island developing States to further increase
their efforts towards subregional, regional
and interregional cooperation;
- Supports the implementation of the
Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action 27/
with particular regard to improved education
and training in disaster reduction,
including the creation of interdisciplinary
scientific and technical networking at all
levels, for the purpose of capacity-building
and human resource development in SIDS;
- Calls upon all Governments to support
the facilitation of an effective synergy
between the implementation of Agenda 21, the
Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing
States and the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of
Action;
- Invites Governments to consider
establishing an informal open-ended working
group within the existing International
Framework of Action for the International
Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, with
the membership of concerned States, as well
as of all relevant sectors in disaster
reduction, with a view to ensuring full
integration and participation of SIDS in the
mapping of a concerted strategy for disaster
reduction into the twenty-first century.
- The Commission also calls on the
international community to support the efforts
of SIDS directed towards:
- Mobilizing additional resources to
address urgent disaster reduction
requirements in SIDS;
- Improving access to disaster and warning
information in order to enhance the
capability of SIDS with respect to disaster
management;
- Providing technical, financial and
expert support for the establishment of a
mechanism for interregional cooperation and
the exchange of information among small
island States on disaster reduction, in
particular with respect to training,
institutional development and disaster
mitigation programming;
- Targeting research and further
development of knowledge in the following
thematic areas for building risk-reduction
capacities in small island States:
- Insurance as a preventive and
mitigating tool for disaster reduction;
- Telecommunications and information
systems as a tool for disaster
reduction;
- Limits and opportunities for the
establishment of national disaster
emergency funds and emergency
administrative procedures;
- Evaluation of constraints in the
access of small island States to
reliable data, disaster-specific
knowledge, and technology means;
- A review of the linkages between
disasters, development and environment,
including the development of methods for
the systematic appraisal of developments
in relation to disaster risks;
- An analysis of the linkage between
global climate change and the
characteristics and occurrence of
natural hazards in small island States.
D. Coastal and marine resources
- The Commission stresses the fact that for
SIDS, effective coastal zone management is a
prerequisite for sustainable development. In
addition, the marine areas play an important
role in meeting some essential needs. The
importance of these areas in the sustainable
development of SIDS were recognized in the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
itself and in the 1995 Agreement for the
Implementation of the Provisions of the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10
December 1982 relating to the Conservation and
Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly
Migratory Fish Stocks (A/50/550, annex I), as
well as in the International Coral Reef
Initiative (convened in the Philippines in June
1995) and the 1995 Global Programme of Action
for the Protection of the Marine Environment
from Land-based Activities.
- The Commission also recognizes the
importance of decision II/10 of the second
meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity in the
context of the protection and conservation of
coastal and marine resources of SIDS.
- The Commission recommends that in developing
integrated national coastal area management
strategies and plans, Governments should ensure
that all steps are undertaken with the active
participation of the private sector and local
communities. Mechanisms for institutional
coordination should also be established.
- Within the context of integrated coastal
area management (ICAM) for SIDS, the activities,
planned or under way, by international
organizations should be implemented in a
coordinated and cost-effective manner. These
activities should include, as one of the
priorities, the protection and management of
marine and coastal areas through ICAM, including
a number of demonstration or pilot projects in
integrated "island" management, in which marine
and coastal resource issues are incorporated
into the development planning process of
selected SIDS.
- To assist national authorities in their
tasks of designing and implementing ICAM plans,
guidelines for specific subsectors such as
tourism, fisheries, agriculture and forestry,
which are among the main users of resources in
the coastal areas of SIDS, should be further
developed. The experience gained by the United
Nations Environment Programme and the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
in these areas should be used in the process.
Such guidelines can be of assistance to planners
and users in these subsectors.
E. Energy resources
- The Commission notes that SIDS continue to
be heavily dependent on conventional sources of
energy, although as a group the total consumed
was a small percentage of world consumption. The
Commission also notes that due to the small
quantities involved the cost per capita was
relatively high and use was generally
inefficient.
- The Commission calls upon the international
community, including the Global Environment
Facility, within the framework of its
operational strategy, to support commercial
energy development in SIDS based on those
environmentally sound renewable sources with
demonstrated viability, to support improvement
of the efficiency of existing technologies and
end-use equipment based on conventional energy
sources, and to assist with the financing of
investments necessary to expand energy supplies
beyond urban areas.
- The Commission notes that many SIDS continue
to depend on biomass fuels. It encourages the
implementation of projects that will ensure a
sustainable fuelwood industry.
F. Tourism resources
- The Commission recognizes the continued
importance of tourism as one of only a few
development options for many SIDS, both as a
dynamic sector and as one that can stimulate
growth in others.
- The Commission encourages SIDS to pursue
policies of sustainable tourism development by:
- (a) Diversifying the tourism product,
enhancing its quality and increasingly
targeting the upper segment of the tourist
market;
- (b) Strengthening linkages of other
economic sectors with tourism so that
domestic production can viably provide for
the consumer needs of tourists to the
maximum extent possible;
- (c) Investing adequately in the
collection of data on all relevant
indicators of benefits and costs necessary
for cost-benefit analysis in order to be
able to carry out systematic evaluations of
the contribution of the tourism sector to
the domestic economy in relation to other
sectors and in relation to social and
environmental costs;
- (d) Developing a multidisciplinary
approach for the rigorous vetting of tourism
development proposals, taking into account
prospective cumulative impacts of tourism
development, and establishing environmental
standards for the approval of projects.
- The Commission calls upon the international
community to provide appropriate assistance for
the improvement and development of basic
physical infrastructures in SIDS, such as
airports and harbours, roads, telecommunications
systems and freshwater systems.
- The Commission notes the importance of
regional cooperation in tourism and proposes
that consideration be given to the development
of common policy guidelines and standards at the
regional level for the mutual benefit of SIDS.
The Commission calls upon the international
community to support the efforts of regional
tourism organizations to improve their
effectiveness.
G. Transport and communications
- Bearing in mind the resource constraint for
expansion and modernization of the
telecommunications network in SIDS, the high per
capita cost of infrastructure due to small
market size and the lack of economies of scale,
the Commission encourages SIDS to continue their
telecommunications development and to improve
facilities and availability. The Commission also
encourages SIDS to maintain and strengthen
communications and business links, on a regional
and subregional basis, with larger neighbours in
the continental shelf, as well as with
development partners.
- The Commission calls upon the international
community to assist SIDS in identifying the most
feasible ways and means of securing financial
assistance from different sources, and invites
the World Bank and the regional development
banks, where appropriate, to systematically
finance telecommunications development,
particularly where most urgently needed.
- The Commission takes note of developments in
air transport since the 1994 Global Conference
on the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States and proposes a study of the
impact on SIDS of changes taking place in the
regulation of air transport. The Commission also
proposes that more regional cooperation with
regard to the regulatory aspects of air
transport, such as joint negotiation of air
transport agreements, should be pursued.
- The Commission calls upon the international
community, where appropriate, to facilitate and
support new and existing initiatives taken at
the regional level to improve air transport for
the benefit of SIDS.
- The Commission notes that with respect to
the economies of SIDS which are open, maritime
transport continues to represent an important
lifeline to other markets. The Commission is
convinced that improved maritime transport,
which responds to the peculiar circumstances of
SIDS and includes reduced overall costs, would
be supportive of sustainable development goals.
- The Commission encourages the modernization
of fleets through appropriate investment
incentives and innovative measures. It invites
SIDS to consider becoming parties to relevant
international legal instruments to promote
maritime safety and environmental protection,
and standardization in shipping. Regional
initiatives are also encouraged to support these
goals, expand maritime capabilities of regions,
and provide an improved intra-regional sea
transportation service with the support of the
international community.
- In view of the large investments involved in
the development of infrastructure and
acquisition of the means of maritime transport,
the Commission calls upon the international
community, where appropriate, to support the
efforts of SIDS at the national and regional
levels.
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