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Developing a Vulnerability Index for
SIDS
Recent Events
As part of the Mauritius
(2005) preparatory process, UWICED,
supported by UNDP and UNDESA, organized a
series of expert meetings to generate
valuable reports on the sustainable
development challenges facing SIDS.
Accordingly, in October 2003, an expert
meeting entitled, ‘Enhancing Resilience -
the Role of the Private Sector, Civil
Society and Trade in the Sustainable
Development of SIDS’ was held in Dominica.
Please click
here
to view reports, presentations, and
outcomes from this event.
In preparation for the The
World Summit on Sustainable Development, a
global roundtable entitled, ‘Vulnerability
and Small Island Developing States;
Exploring Mechanisms for Partnerships’ was
held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, 9-10 May 2002
. The Round Table mobilized new political
commitments and forged partnerships to
reduce small islands' vulnerabilities,
mainly through further implementation of the
SIDS programme of action. It also attempted
to rally international organizations to
champion a renewed framework for
implementation of the SIDS agenda. For more
information, presentations, and
documentation please click
here.
Project Background
Although many SIDS have made substantial
strides in economic growth, social
development, and environmental conservation,
their small size, isolation, susceptibility
to natural disasters, and ecological
fragility, means that such progress will
always be precarious. SIDS are estimated to
be 34% economically more vulnerable than
other developing countries, largely because
of their exposure to natural disasters and
high level of export concentration. Such
challenges have been articulated in
Agenda 21, the 1994
Programme of Action
for the Sustainable Development of Small
Island Developing States, the decisions
adopted at the
twenty-second special session of the General
Assembly
(1999) and in (WSSD
Plan of Implementation, para. 52, in
2002). Because one hurricane or commodity
price downturn can erode years of
development gains in SIDS, it is essential
that small islands build their resilience
and capacity to mitigate recurrent
environmental and economic shocks.
As a first step in addressing the issue
of vulnerability, the General Assembly
endorsed a broad assessment, using economic,
social, and environmental vulnerability
indices developed specifically for SIDS. The
1994 resolution 49/122, states,
"Small island developing States,
in cooperation with national, regional
and international organizations and
research centres, should continue work
on the development of vulnerability
indices and other indicators that
reflect the status of small island
developing States and integrate
ecological fragility and economic
vulnerability. Consideration should be
given to how such an index, as well as
relevant studies undertaken on small
island developing States by other
international institutions, might be
used in addition to other statistical
measures as quantitative indicators of
fragility".
"Appropriate expertise should
continue to be utilized in the
development, compilation and updating of
the vulnerability index. Such expertise
could include scholars and
representatives of international
organizations that have at their
disposal the data required to compile
the vulnerability index. Relevant
international organizations are invited
to contribute to the development of the
index. In addition, it is recommended
that the work currently under way in the
United Nations system on the elaboration
of sustainable development indicators
should take into account proposals on
the vulnerability index".
In 1996 the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD) at its
fourth session in decision 4/16
encouraged “the relevant bodies of the
United Nations System to give priority to
the development of the index”. Accordingly,
in 1996, the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) undertook
initial studies in order to provide a
conceptual framework for the development of
a vulnerability index.
In 1997, the Department of Economic and
Social Affairs engaged two consultants to
develop economic and ecological
vulnerability indices. DESA also convened an
ad hoc expert group to review the technical
work of the consultants and to make
appropriate recommendations.
Interagency Coordination
In 2001 and 2002, the Secretary-General
presented reports to the United Nations
General Assembly 56th and 57th sessions
respectively on the ongoing efforts taken by
several United Nations organizations and
intergovernmental bodies in developing
indicators that would measure the
vulnerability of small island developing
States. The reports indicated the important
research carried out in developing a
definitive economic, social, and
environmental vulnerability indices.
The report of the Secretary-General
submitted to the 57th session of the General
Assembly (A/57/131)
[Arabic]
[Chinese]
[English]
[French]
[Russian]
[Spanish]
The report of the
Secretary-General submitted to the 56th
session of the General Assembly (A/56/170)
[Arabic]
[Chinese]
[English]
[French]
[Russian]
[Spanish]
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