Your Excellency, Ambassador Nason, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United NationsYour Excellency. Ambassador Young, Permanent Representative of Belize to the United NationsMs. Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS),ExcellenciesColleagues,
I am honoured to join you today at this 2019 annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue.
I thank the co-chairs of the Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships - Belize and Ireland - for their leadership.
I also express my appreciation to the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS (OHRLLS) for their advocacy role and active collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in organizing this important event.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It has been almost five years since the UN Member States came together to adopt the SAMOA Pathway, a unique overarching framework for guiding global, regional and national development efforts to achieve the sustainable development aspirations of SIDS.
An intense preparatory process for the September Mid-Term Review of the SAMOA Pathway has taken place since our last Multi-stakeholder Partnership Dialogue. It has included three regional meetings of SIDS in their respective regions, as well as one interregional meeting for all SIDS.
Much has happened also regarding the SIDS Partnership Framework. The Framework, and the Steering Committee, were formed to follow-up on sustainable development commitments, including through partnerships and best practices.
Parallel to the Mid-Term Review preparations, my Department of Economic and Social Affairs has undertaken a capacity development project to support the work of the SIDS Partnership Framework.
This project has included a broad consultative process with relevant stakeholders in SIDS, including a series of partnership dialogues organized in the margins of the regional SAMOA preparatory meetings. It has resulted in the development of the SIDS Partnership Toolbox and an in-depth analysis of SIDS Partnerships. You will hear more about these efforts later today.
While the SAMOA Pathway is a stand-alone framework for the development of SIDS, the partnerships it has created provide a treasure trove of lessons learned. They have provided insight into what works, demonstrated how good ideas can be scaled up and highlighted some of the common challenges. These are useful lessons that can be more widely tapped for addressing SDG implementation.
Excellencies,
Well-forged partnerships can bring myriad benefits.
For example, partnerships can help us bring together complementary resources; they help us share our ideas and also mitigate risks. Partnerships can help us create collective legitimacy and knowledge as well as create mechanisms for collective learning and complex problem solving.
However, our work has also shown that effective partnering is a skill that needs to be learned and nurtured. We must make a collective effort to ensure that our civil servants, institutions, private companies, civil society organizations – indeed all relevant stakeholders – are fit for partnering.
Integrated implementation of the SDGs requires breaking the silos, and effective partnership is a critical component of this effort. Effective partnership requires that we get to the root of the challenge and bring together the right actors for crafting a meaningful solution. And it requires that all contributors benefit from their involvement, with each partner learning to see ideas and potential actions and outcomes through the eyes of the other.
Today, we will hear very inspiring stories of concrete partnerships that have successfully brought together a variety of actors to solve the special challenges that SIDS face. We will also discuss the bottle-necks, challenges and opportunities for moving forward.
Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,
This September, the Mid-Term Review of the SAMOA Pathway will form part of the high-level week of critical international dialogues. The UN General Assembly high-level week will bring world leaders together for the General Debate, two Summits and three high-level meetings to address some of the most pressing global challenges, including climate action, universal health coverage, development financing and SDGs progress. Small island developing states will form an indispensable part of these discussions. With just over a decade left to the target date to achieve the SDGs in 2030, this week will see the international community come together to demonstrate their intent to accelerate action to transform our societies and economies.
DESA stands ready to continue its support for the SIDS.
I wish you a very productive SIDS Partnership Dialogue and look forward with interest to the outcomes.
Thank you.
I am honoured to join you today at this 2019 annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue.
I thank the co-chairs of the Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships - Belize and Ireland - for their leadership.
I also express my appreciation to the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS (OHRLLS) for their advocacy role and active collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in organizing this important event.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It has been almost five years since the UN Member States came together to adopt the SAMOA Pathway, a unique overarching framework for guiding global, regional and national development efforts to achieve the sustainable development aspirations of SIDS.
An intense preparatory process for the September Mid-Term Review of the SAMOA Pathway has taken place since our last Multi-stakeholder Partnership Dialogue. It has included three regional meetings of SIDS in their respective regions, as well as one interregional meeting for all SIDS.
Much has happened also regarding the SIDS Partnership Framework. The Framework, and the Steering Committee, were formed to follow-up on sustainable development commitments, including through partnerships and best practices.
Parallel to the Mid-Term Review preparations, my Department of Economic and Social Affairs has undertaken a capacity development project to support the work of the SIDS Partnership Framework.
This project has included a broad consultative process with relevant stakeholders in SIDS, including a series of partnership dialogues organized in the margins of the regional SAMOA preparatory meetings. It has resulted in the development of the SIDS Partnership Toolbox and an in-depth analysis of SIDS Partnerships. You will hear more about these efforts later today.
While the SAMOA Pathway is a stand-alone framework for the development of SIDS, the partnerships it has created provide a treasure trove of lessons learned. They have provided insight into what works, demonstrated how good ideas can be scaled up and highlighted some of the common challenges. These are useful lessons that can be more widely tapped for addressing SDG implementation.
Excellencies,
Well-forged partnerships can bring myriad benefits.
For example, partnerships can help us bring together complementary resources; they help us share our ideas and also mitigate risks. Partnerships can help us create collective legitimacy and knowledge as well as create mechanisms for collective learning and complex problem solving.
However, our work has also shown that effective partnering is a skill that needs to be learned and nurtured. We must make a collective effort to ensure that our civil servants, institutions, private companies, civil society organizations – indeed all relevant stakeholders – are fit for partnering.
Integrated implementation of the SDGs requires breaking the silos, and effective partnership is a critical component of this effort. Effective partnership requires that we get to the root of the challenge and bring together the right actors for crafting a meaningful solution. And it requires that all contributors benefit from their involvement, with each partner learning to see ideas and potential actions and outcomes through the eyes of the other.
Today, we will hear very inspiring stories of concrete partnerships that have successfully brought together a variety of actors to solve the special challenges that SIDS face. We will also discuss the bottle-necks, challenges and opportunities for moving forward.
Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,
This September, the Mid-Term Review of the SAMOA Pathway will form part of the high-level week of critical international dialogues. The UN General Assembly high-level week will bring world leaders together for the General Debate, two Summits and three high-level meetings to address some of the most pressing global challenges, including climate action, universal health coverage, development financing and SDGs progress. Small island developing states will form an indispensable part of these discussions. With just over a decade left to the target date to achieve the SDGs in 2030, this week will see the international community come together to demonstrate their intent to accelerate action to transform our societies and economies.
DESA stands ready to continue its support for the SIDS.
I wish you a very productive SIDS Partnership Dialogue and look forward with interest to the outcomes.
Thank you.
File date:
Wednesday, July 10, 2019