Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to join this side event in the margins of ECOSOC Partnership Forum.
Let me begin by congratulating Ambassador Rhonda King for her appointment as the co-Chair of the 9th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) and, relatedly, for the initiative taken by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the ITU to organize this event.
With the preparations for the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, now well underway, the timing of this discussion is well placed. For SIDS, the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) sector is a key building block for achieving their overall sustainable development objectives.
In the draft Outcome Document for SIDS4, currently under negotiation, Member States have outlined eight specific actions to harness the potential of STI for SIDS, from building digital infrastructure and literacy, to developing marine technologies and renewable energy projects, to capitalizing on the vast potential of AI, and others.
Digital technologies and e-commerce have great potential to facilitate the participation of SIDS in global and regional markets, enhancing their economic resilience.
Innovative use of science and technology, including effective application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has the potential for combating climate change and addressing post-disaster situations.
But the challenges to SIDS digital transformation are many. Lack of access to affordable infrastructure remains a concern. Inadequate legal frameworks on digital technologies—particularly AI—also poses a problem, coupled with the current lack of capacity to develop and enforce the needed frameworks and regulations.
To approach these challenges in a cohesive manner, SIDS are seeking to form partnerships to develop national roadmaps for STI. Partnerships are the engine of STI progress.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The STI Forum, to be convened on the 9th and 10th of May, will provide a chance to explore these and other STI challenges and opportunities even more deeply than time will allow today.
The STI Forum always brings together a diverse group of experts and practitioners ready to learn from each other and forge new levels of collaboration for sustainable development.
I am confident that Ambassador King as co-chair of the forum, with her counterpart from Denmark, Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, will ensure that the connection between STI progress, partnerships and SIDS development objectives is adequately explored.
In conclusion, I reiterate DESA’s commitment to fostering partnerships on STI that catalyse transformative change in SIDS. Through collaborative efforts, we can overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and ensure that no one is left behind on the journey to sustainable development.
I thank you.