The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SAMOA Pathway recognizes the specific challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and their particular vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Along with its overarching principle to ensure that “No One Is Left Behind”, it calls for a special effort to ensure that SIDS make rapid progress towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Several countries among SIDS have started to implement the SDGs by adapting the targets to their national situation and reviewing their policies and institutional frameworks. Meaningful partnerships are also being established among stakeholders at all levels to leverage on opportunities for the effective implementation of the SDGs.

The Government of the Bahamas, with the support of UN DESA is organizing a Symposium on 21-23 February on “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SAMOA Pathway in Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Equipping public institutions and mobilizing partnerships”.

“With this Symposium, we intend to take a moment to pause and reflect on how SIDS can take a fast track towards the SDGs and the SAMOA Pathway”, UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Mr. Wu Hongbo said as the event kicked off on 21 February.

“Implementing the SDGs starts by adapting the targets of the 2030 Agenda to countries’ national realities and priorities and incorporating those into policies and plans.  We can learn a lot from Samoa, the Bahamas and others, which recently went through this exercise,” Mr. Wu said.

The Symposium further aims to reflect on how SIDS can integrate the 2030 Agenda and the SAMOA Pathway in national planning processes, policies, strategies and public institutions – along with other recent United Nations on disaster risk reduction, financing for development, climate change and habitat. It places a special focus on how best to equip public institutions and mobilize partnerships and cooperation for realizing the 2030 Agenda. Options and innovative solutions for planning, policy making and institution building are also being discussed.

The Symposium also gives attention to the special vulnerabilities of SIDS to the adverse impacts of climate change and other natural and man-made hazards, and reflects on ways to strengthen resilience. Stakeholders who are attending this event, have also been encouraged to launch partnerships at this event.

The event is being streamed live and can be followed online here: https://livestream.com/accounts/8561930/UNBahamasSymposium

To follow the conversation via social media, the online audience is encouraged to use the hashtag #SIDSSymposium2017.