Follow-up of the 2005 Mauritius Strategy for the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

Towards implementing the Mauritius Strategy

UN-OHRLLS SUPPORT

Fulfilling the Mandate of the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

Introduction

Since its establishment by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001 and in accordance with its mandate, the UN OHRLLS has played a role in furthering the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the SIDS hand in hand with the two other programmes of Almaty and Brussels relating to the Landlocked Developing and the Least Developed Countries respectively. In fact, this role was given prominent recognition with the appointment of the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury, as Secretary-General of the International Meeting for the ten-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action held in Mauritius from 10-14 January 2005.

The UN-OHRLLS played a key role in the preparatory process for the Mauritius International Meeting. It was instrumental in mobilizing resources for the participation of SIDS delegations to preparatory meetings and the International Conference itself, as well as for the participation of representatives of civil society, non-governmental organizations and the private sector The Office worked closely with the Host Country, the Republic of Mauritius, and provided the guidance to United Nations organizations in preparing and conducting the International Meeting, which upon its conclusion was hailed a "resounding success" by the President of the International Meeting, Prime Minister of Mauritius His Excellency Mr. Paul Raymond Bérenger. Similar views were expressed by United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan and other dignitaries and stakeholders present.

The UN-OHRLLS mandate within the framework of the Mauritius Strategy and emanating from General Assembly resolution 56/227 gives it a continuing role for both advocacy and mobilization of resources for the implementation of internationally agreed development goals in respect of SIDS. The Office will therefore continue to initiate steps to advocate and seek support and resources on behalf of the Small Island Developing States to achieve the objectives set out in the Mauritius Strategy to further implement the Barbados Programme of Action. In this context, the Office continues to seek the full support of the SIDS, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), and the SIDS Unit of UN DESA, the UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO and other UN system organizations. The UN-OHRLLS has also recognized the important role of the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization, the World Tourism Organization, the Global Environment Fund, and the regional organizations in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The role of civil society, the private sector and communities in the SIDS are vital to the success of the Mauritius Strategy.

The UN-OHRLLS has appreciated the cooperation of the stakeholders concerned and looks ahead to further enhancing such cooperation in helping the SIDS in their development in the period ahead.

We especially thank Under Secretary General Chowdhury and his office for the exceptional effort on his part to ensure the fullest possible participation of civil society in this process.

Mauritius Declaration of the Civil Society Forum, January 2005

The United Nations International Meeting for the ten-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action for the sustainable development of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was a result of over a year's preparatory work starting with individual SIDS and the three SIDS regions of the Caribbean, Pacific and AIMS (Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea) and at the Inter-regional meeting held in the Bahamas in January 2004. These preparations were followed by a global preparatory process involving the entire international community in New York at the Preparatory Meeting convened by the 12th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 12) and the informal meetings convened thereafter by the facilitator, Ambassador Don MacKay, Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the United Nations, right up to the informal consultations on 8 and 9 January 2005, prior to the International Meeting in Mauritius.

The International Meeting held from 10-14 January 2005 was attended by 120 states, 15 Heads of State or Government, 9 associate members of regional commissions, 20 intergovernmental organizations, and 13 specialized agencies and related organizations. In addition a Civil Society Forum was held from 6-9 January 2005 and members of civil society reported on their recommendations on the opening day of the International Meeting and also participated at the high-level segment on 13 and 14 January 2005.

One of the most pertinent observations of the ten-year review of the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action for the sustainable development of the Small Island Developing States was the inadequate international cooperation, external resources and technology in implementing the Programme during the past decade 1994-2004. SIDS on their part had taken on the major burden of implementing the Programme but their activities were seriously hampered due to a lack of financial and other resources including technology, and capacity constraints to undertake what needed to be done. There was also a serious problem with coordination amongst the different stakeholders beginning with regional bodies, the various UN system and other multilateral organizations that had the capacity and the mandates to get involved in implementing the different facets of the Programme.

Another glaring factor that emerged from the 10-year review was the absence of sufficient international awareness of the specific social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities of the SIDS. The need to continuously sustain international interest in the Programme of Action for the SIDS was expressed as a strong concern. A consistent campaign on their behalf needed to be maintained in order to keep SIDS issues high on the international agenda. Hence, the role of advocacy was strongly emphasized by various speakers at the International Meeting in Mauritius. Secretary-General Kofi Annan put the problems of implementing the Barbados Programme of Action in a succinct form:

"United Nations conferences from Rio to Johannesburg and Monterrey, and above all 10 years ago in Barbados, has sought to rally the world behind the cause of Small Island Developing States. There has been progress. Some small islands have carved out new market niches, in particular in services such as finance, tourism and information technologies. The latter in particular have helped to ease their isolation.

But major economic challenges remain. On the whole, implementation of what was agreed and promised at Barbados remains disappointing at best. And in the meantime, new challenges have emerged. The AIDS epidemic has made deep inroads, especially in the Caribbean, which now ranks second to sub-Saharan Africa in the proportion of its adult population infected.

So what was, a decade ago, an already pressing small islands agenda, has become even more urgent and daunting. Good progress is possible here in Mauritius. Partnerships with regional organizations and civil society will be crucial. The private sector's involvement is essential. The United Nations system will continue to do its part, including through advocacy aimed at keeping the issues of concern to small islands prominent on the international agenda."

The state of the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action at the end of the decade was clearly highlighted in the abovementioned statement made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Hence, from the Mauritius meeting onwards, Small Island Developing States and the United Nations system must ensure that a new path, a new direction, is adopted towards realizing the aspirations of the small and vulnerable islands in the next few years. Since sustenance of international interest and resources proved to be the most serious of handicaps during the past decade 1994-2004 for implementing the Programme of Action, this was a key point emphasized by the Mauritius Strategy.

HIGH REPRESENTATIVE LAUNCHES ADVOCACY FOR SIDS

UN-OHRLLS SUPPORT ROADMAP

High Representative Anwarul K. Chowdhury began taking the steps essential in fulfilling the mandate of UN-OHRLLS to promote the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. In this regard, a Roadmap to guide the work of the UN-OHRLLS has been issued and is posted on its website (www.un.org/ohrlls). This document will act as a guideline that would be dynamic and would undergo change and revision in keeping with how the implementation process moves and how other stakeholders react to the process.

2nd World Conference on International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Kobe, Japan
(18-22 January 2005)

The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters

This conference was the first major international event relevant towards implementing aspects of the Mauritius Strategy. As in the case of the Mauritius International Meeting, this Kobe conference also acquired higher significance in view of the Asian tsunami disaster of 28 December 2004.

Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury participated at the conference both in his capacity as the Secretary-General of the International Meeting and.the High Representative.

In keeping with the mandate of his Office the High Representative made the following points towards advocating the cause of the SIDS and the further implementation of the Mauritius Strategy:

* He reminded the conference that the Barbados Programme ranked the need to address natural and environment disasters as one of its 14 priorities. The Programme had explicitly called on the 1994 Yokohama World Conference on Natural Disasters to give special recognition to SIDS so that their unique characteristics are taken into account in developing natural disaster reduction management programmes. The Yokohama document had called for giving "priority attention to the Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries in the activities of the International Decade for Disaster Reduction."
·* He reaffirmed the SIDS as a special case for sustainable development in view of the vulnerabilities that they face and the disproportionately high economic, social and environmental impact of natural disasters on small islands.
·* He emphasized the need to develop and strengthen effective disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, emergency relief, and rehabilitation and reconstruction capacities for these countries.
·* Support the efforts of SIDS through technology development, capacity-building and human resources development to build resilience in these countries.
·* He also emphasized the need to take into account the needs of SIDS and those of the Least Developed Countries while preparing the Kobe Framework for Action 2005-2015 and the continuing validity of the assertion made in the Yokohama Strategy that "--- the most affected by natural and other disasters are the poor and specially disadvantaged groups in developing countries as they are least equipped to cope with them."

The outcome of the WCDR, Kobe, was highly pertinent for the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters contains the following provisions that are relevant to disaster-prone developing countries:

" (g) Disaster-prone developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States, warrant particular attention in view of their higher vulnerability and risk levels, which often greatly exceed their capacity to respond to and recover from disasters;

(h) There is a need to enhance international and regional cooperation and assistance in the field of disaster risk reduction through, inter alia:

* The transfer of knowledge, technology and expertise to enhance capacity building for disaster risk reduction
* The sharing of research findings, lessons learned and best practices
* The compilation of information on disaster risk and impact for all scales of disasters in a way that can inform sustainable development and disaster risk reduction
* Appropriate support in order to enhance governance for disaster risk reduction, for awareness-raising initiatives and for capacity-development measures at all levels, in order to improve the disaster resilience of developing countries
* The full, speedy and effective implementation of the enhanced Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, taking into account the impact of disasters on the debt sustainability of countries eligible for this programme
* Financial assistance to reduce existing risks and to avoid the generation of new risks"

Again, under "Priorities for action" the Hyogo Framework provides for the specific implementation of the Mauritius Strategy:

"(h) Implement the outcome of the Mauritius Strategy for the further implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the sustainable development of small island developing States, including by establishing and strengthening effective early warning systems as well as other mitigation and response measures."

Fifth Open Forum for Partnerships

"Facing disasters in the least developed countries: Need for preparedness and international support"
(United Nations, New York 28 February 2005)

The UN OHRLLS organized this Open Forum where Mr. Salvano Briceno, Director of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (ISDR) and Secretary-General of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) made a presentation. During the course of the discussions, Mr. Briceno was requested to update the participants on efforts being made by the UN to establish early warning systems of relevance to LDCs and the SIDS. In this context, it was noted that

·* Individual countries and communities were strengthening their disaster management capabilities. ISDR was working closely with the Indian Ocean Commission and others concerned in the region.
* Work had already begun in the Indian Ocean region to establish early warning systems with connections with the already-established Pacific early warning system capabilities. Individual countries of the region like Indonesia, Thailand and India were also setting up their own systems. In this regard, the meeting was informed that attempts had been made a few years ago to establish an early warning system in the Indian Ocean region. However, unfortunately, at that time the countries in the region felt that since tsunamis were rare and 100-year occurrences there was no need for such facilities. However, it was noted that 100-year occurrences could happen the very next day.
* Educating the public on tsunamis would keep a population that is vulnerable alert. The example of a school girl who had just learnt about tsunamis about two weeks ago in a school lesson had probably saved her life and that of others when she found herself exposed to this disaster in Phuket, Thailand. If people had known about tsunamis they would perhaps have fled to higher ground in greater haste.
* The use of volunteers who were knowledgeable and especially those that were locally-recruited was emphasized as an important resource in building national abilities to cope with natural and other disasters.

Encouraging Civil Society involvement in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy

DISCUSSIONS
Held at United Nations Headquarters on 19 April 2005

THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MAURITIUS STRATEGY FOR SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES (SIDS)

The UN-OHRLLS collaborated with the UN NGO Committee on Sustainable Development to organize discussions at UN headquarters in New York on 19 April 2005 with a view to clarifying the role of civil society in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the SIDS.

In his remarks, Mr. Anwarul Chowdhury said that as the Secretary-General of the Mauritius International Meeting (MIM) it had been his great pleasure to work closely with civil society. Civil society had contributed effectively both during the preparatory phase as well as at the MIM itself. The Civil Society Forum (CSF) which was held prior to MIM was well attended and it had come up with a declaration which had outlined a number of priority areas. The Forum had presented its report to the MIM opening session. In the two roundtable meetings of Heads of State/Government, civil society representatives were allocated two seats so that they could intervene when necessary.

Mr. Chowdhury stressed the fact that no UN programme of action, let alone the Mauritius Strategy (MS), would be effectively implemented without civil society participation. Partnerships with civil society and NGO participation in intergovernmental meetings were essential but this approach still remained elusive and we were yet to find solutions to this matter.

The Mauritius Strategy recognized the role of civil society and the private sector. The CARICOM had a charter provision for the participation of major groups. There should not only be regional charters like this but also a global charter for the involvement of civil society.

Mr. Gordon Bispham (Caribbean/Barbados civil society representative) acknowledged the role during the last few years of UN-OHRLLS in promoting civil society. The CSF had called for action in three main areas:
1. Information and communications network for SIDS
2. Public awareness programme for SIDS
3. Assessment of progress being made and indicators for the programme of action for SIDS

These could be considered the three minimum core areas of the CSF framework.

Ms Vanessa Tobin, Chief, Water/Sanitation and Environment of UNICEF mentioned that there were three issues within the MS where UNICEF could play a role. These were in the areas of health, education, and child protection. In this regard UNICEF was supportive of Civil Society and to partner with them in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene.

* Globally sanitation and hygiene was lacking in terms of the goals of the MDGs
* Water quality monitoring and joint monitoring for chemicals and microbiological contamination was essential
* Emergency preparedness and response plans - UNICEF was working closely with an interagency team of NGOs in the Maldives. There were also close working relations with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Ms. Roma Stibravy, Chairperson, NGO Committee, saw some very positive trends towards increased funding from major donors and alternative mechanisms for meeting international development objectives.

Mr. Om Pradhan (UN-OHRLLS) mentioned the following issues:

* Concern over the delay in the endorsement of the MS by the UN General Assembly - nearly three months had passed since the MIM and many more months may slip by before this formality is undertaken.
* Concern that the enthusiasm generated during the MIM preparatory process and the MIM itself was waning in the aftermath of the MIM.
* Financial support for Civil Society participation in international meetings was difficult to come by and each event required approaching donor countries with unsure results.

In the course of the Q&A session and an interactive exchange of views the following issues were touched upon:

* Programmes in the SIDS should be demand-driven as opposed to supply-driven - national governments should decide on where aid and investments should go.
* Pacific islands were not on track to meet the MDGs on water and sanitation.
* Water and sanitation data pertaining to schools was not available - but the fact that much of such data was with UNICEF was mentioned.
* Civil Society had evolved over the years and their functioning was much more sophisticated comparatively speaking. For example, when governments wanted certain development-related information or data, CS has often been a very useful source.
* All said and done financing of CS is the major challenge for their work and mobility.
* There was some concern over the privatization of national resources like water and energy programmes.
* National governments should support Civil Society to gain access to available financial resources.
· UN OHRLLS should help Civil Society to mobilize financial and other resources.

Ms. Roma Stibravy said that financial mobilization in the US was an industry in itself and perhaps some Civil Society persons could be trained in this regard. However, it was made known that such training had already been undertaken; rather it was often more a question of access from the government to the funds already there.

UN-OHRLLS and the World Bank
(7 March 2005)

The World Bank delegation at the Mauritius International Meeting was led by Vice-President Mr. Ian Goldin. Since then the High Representative has discussed various ways in which the World Bank could contribute towards implementating the Mauritius Strategy.

At the meeting between the High Representative and Mr. Jim Adams, Vice President of the World Bank in Washington D.C. on 7 March 2005 they also discussed the implications for SIDS of the just-concluded IDA-14 agreement.

Following are the main outcome of the discussions for follow-up:

* A five-year review was being undertaken for the Small States Forum. The Bank was evaluating the relevance of the Forum and examining whether the Forum should continue to be a global level forum or should it be taken to the regional levels.

* The next meeting of the Forum would examine the recommendations of this review and take a decision. The Caribbean region would have the chairmanship of the Forum in 2005 and it is expected that Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados will be invited to chair the event.

* The Mauritius Strategy would be put on the agenda of the Forum.

·* The World Bank was supportive of the regional approach with regard to the follow-up of the Mauritius Strategy and felt that as the regional bodies like CARICOM and the Pacific Islands Forum had emerged as key players, such an approach would get the World Bank's support.

* IDA-14 had some positive elements for SIDS, namely higher ceiling for SIDS to be eligible for IDA loans, and there were exceptions agreed upon for SIDS. The Bank would have increased resources for SIDS but the performance level of the SIDS needed to be better to obtain increased resources from the Bank. It was felt that the Caribbean countries were doing better than the Pacific Islands in this regard.

* If there were any new ideas that UN-OHRLLS had on the follow-up of the Mauritius Strategy, the Bank would welcome them and would work together with the office.

Open Forum for Partnerships to discuss the issue of protecting the environment in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, with Global Environment Facility (GEF), 24 March 2005

Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury called for a renewed commitment by the international community to prevent environmental degradation in Least Developed Countries as stated in the Brussels Programme of Action. "The Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States are contributing the least to the emission of greenhouse gases, while they are the most vulnerable and have the least capacity to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change," he said at the United Nations today.

Chairman of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Mr. Leonard Good said that there was a growing link between environment and development. He said that the Global Environment Facility had 431 projects with an investment of $1.1 billion in 49 Least Developed Countries and 260 projects with a financial undertaking of $425 million in 41 Small Island Developing States. "While GEF has an Island Biodiversity work programme focused on SIDS, mitigation of greenhouse gases has been a priority in Least Developed Countries," he added.

The LDC Fund had been set up and the Least Developed Countries should push for more funding. "GEF is now focusing on several different environmental issues, for example issues relating to water. The Small Island Developing States have the perfect opportunity to get involved," Mr. Good said.

13th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
(11-14 April 2005)

On 11 April 2005 Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury made a statement at the opening session of the Commission. This statement was critical in drawing the attention of CSD 13 to the programmes of action for the three most vulnerable groups of countries, and especially the SIDS in the context of the Mauritius Strategy. On the opening day itself, he pointed out that the documents presented to the Commission should have reflected very prominently the issues concerning these vulnerable countries, particularly the LDCs and SIDS as the Brussels Programme and the Mauritius Strategy devote special attention to water, sanitation and human settlements. He said that it would have been appropriate to incorporate worthwhile references to their concerns for consideration of the Commission. He also mentioned that it was also disappointing to find that the matrix of the IPM summary made by the Chairman did not include the special profile that the Chairman had accorded to the needs of these most disadvantaged countries.

Specifically, in respect of the SIDS, Mr. Chowdhury informed the Commission that earlier this year in January at the UN-convened Mauritius International Meeting to conduct the 10- year-review of the Barbados Programme of Action for the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States, the water, sanitation and human settlements issues in SIDS received special attention of the international community. The Mauritius Strategy clearly emphasized that the "access to safe drinking water, the provision of sanitation and the promotion of hygiene are the foundations of human dignity, public health and economic and social development." The SIDS continued to face water management and access challenges.

World Food Programme (WFP)

The WFP informed the UN-OHRLLS vide their letter of 30 March 2005 that at the Kobe WCDR, WFP had launched the Humanitarian Early Warning System Web (HEWSweb), a global warning hub for early warning and alerts for UN, other partners, donors, governments and the humanitarian community at large. (www.hewsweb.org)

Sixty-First session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Bangkok, Thailand
(12 to 18 May 2005)

Addressing the Ministerial segment of ESCAP, Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury put forward the case of the SIDS before the meeting. He said that the region's 15 small islands as well as the associate members had been enthusiastic participants at the Mauritius International Meeting convened by the United Nations that resulted in the adoption of the Mauritius Strategy for the implementation of the Barbados Programme. He said that he was happy to note that the Pacific Islands Summit would take place next year during the ESCAP's 62nd session in Indonesia. The ESCAP Pacific Operations Center (EPOC) had a major role in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy in the region working closely with the Pacific Islands Forum and other relevant regional organizations. He also reiterated that he had been underlining consistently the importance of the role regional organizations can play in the implementation of the sustainable development agenda of the small islands. The UN system and international financial institutions needed to provide the support that these small islands deserve due to their acute vulnerability and remoteness.

Second South Summit, Doha, Qatar
(12 - 16 June 2005)

The HR participated at the Second South Summit of the Group of 77 and China in Doha, Qatar (12-16 June 2005) with a view to highlight what had been done and what could be done within the framework of South-South cooperation for the three most vulnerable groups of countries. In the case of the SIDS, he brought the Mauritius Strategy to the attention of the Summit stating that this internationally agreed outcome stated that South-South cooperation was critical at the bilateral, sub-regional and regional levels in investment, capacity-building, disaster management, environment, food, agriculture, oceans, water, energy, health and education. Within this framework, SIDS-SIDS cooperation had acquired considerable significance. Based on their real developmental needs, South-South cooperation should be built as an integral part of the international community's support to the countries in special needs.

The HR pointed out that a growing number of institutions with excellent standards of education and outstanding capacities and expertise in areas of health, manufacturing, hi-tech industries and ICT, as well as research and development exist today in the South. These countries had the means and the resources to further promote South-South cooperation to support the disadvantaged countries. In recent years, such cooperation was being promoted actively in areas ranging from health - more specifically in the fight against HIV/AIDS, capacity development, trade and agriculture to economic infrastructure, debt cancellation, population, disaster mitigation, governance and democratic institutions building and sharing of technology. Regional cooperation and greater market opportunities among developing countries in general, and with the most vulnerable countries in particular, appeared to be key factors for the expansion of South-South trade. This was also finding increasing reflection in the cooperation frameworks of the regional and sub-regional organizations of Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America-Caribbean.

It is important to recognize the linkage between South-South cooperation with the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially with regard to poverty reduction efforts and social development, including raising the status of women. It was important to tie South-South agenda with the MDGs through mechanisms for more effective implementation of policies, agreements and action plans, with special emphasis on least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, Small Island developing States and Africa in general.

The HR took the opportunity to tell the Summit what specific actions could be taken to focus on the special needs of the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS and the implementation of their respective Programmes of Action. The developing countries needed to give particular attention to the following six areas in order to:

1. Remove all existing tariff and non-tariff barriers to their markets for the products of LDCs and support LDCs to overcome their supply-side constraints.
2. Facilitate and improve transit transport by all modes of communications for LLDCs.
3. Increase foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, particularly to build infrastructure and expand export capacity.
4. Double the present technical assistance as well as training, research and educational facilities and scholarships provided to the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.
5. Provide greater support to the social sector development in the LDCs with special attention to health focusing on HIV/AIDS, education, population issues and women's empowerment.
6. Cooperate in establishing food security for the LDCs