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Small Island Developing States

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Map of the Small Island Developing States

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of developing countries that are small island countries and tend to share similar sustainable development challenges. These include small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on international trade, and fragile environments. Their growth and development are also held back by high communication, energy and transportation costs, irregular international transport volumes, disproportionately expensive public administration and infrastructure due to their small size, and little to no opportunity to create economies of scale. They consist of some of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

The SIDS were first recognized as a distinct group of developing countries at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992. The Barbados Programme of Action was produced in 1994 to assist the SIDS in their sustainable development efforts. The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) represents the group of states.[1]

List of SIDS

As of 2020, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs lists 52 small island developing states. They are grouped into three geographic regions: the Caribbean;[2] the Pacific;[3] and Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS),[4] including Associate Members of the Regional Commissions. Each of these regions has a regional cooperation body: the Caribbean Community, the Pacific Islands Forum and the Indian Ocean Commission respectively, which many SIDS are members or associate members of. In addition, most (but not all) SIDS are members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which performs lobbying and negotiating functions for the SIDS within the United Nations system. The UNCTAD website states that "the UN never established criteria to determine an official list of SIDS" but UNCTAD maintains a shorter, unofficial list on its website for analytical purposes.[5]

Caribbean Pacific Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS)
 Anguilla[a][b][c]  American Samoa[d][e][c]  Bahrain[a][e]
 Antigua and Barbuda  Cook Islands[c]  Cape Verde[e]
 Aruba[f][g]  Federated States of Micronesia  Comoros[h]
 Bahamas  Fiji  Guinea-Bissau[h][e][i]
 Barbados  French Polynesia[a][b][c]  Maldives[g]
 Belize  Guam[d][e][c]  Mauritius
 British Virgin Islands[a][b][c]  Kiribati[h]  São Tomé and Príncipe[h][e]
 Cuba[e]  Marshall Islands  Seychelles
 Dominica  Nauru  Singapore[e]
 Dominican Republic[g]  New Caledonia[a][b][c]
 Grenada  Niue[c]
 Guyana[i]  Northern Mariana Islands[a][e][c]
 Haiti[h]  Palau
 Jamaica  Papua New Guinea
 Montserrat[a][c]  Samoa
 Netherlands Antilles[d][g][c]  Solomon Islands[h]
 Puerto Rico[a][g][c]  Timor-Leste[h][a][g]
 Saint Kitts and Nevis  Tonga
 Saint Lucia  Tuvalu[h]
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Vanuatu
 Suriname[i]
 Trinidad and Tobago
 United States Virgin Islands[d][e][c]

Impacts of climate change

3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States, Samoa, September 2014
Main article: Effects of climate change on island nations

SIDS are some of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. Due to their proximity to water, SIDS are especially vulnerable to the marine effects of climate change like sea level rise, ocean acidification, marine heatwaves, and the increase in cyclone intensity. Changing precipitation patterns could also cause droughts. Many citizens of SIDS live near a coastline, meaning that they have a high risk exposure to the effects of marine climate change. Additional climate change vulnerability comes through their economies: many SIDS have economies that are based on natural resources, such as ecotourism, fishing, or agriculture. Phenomena like sea level rise, coastal erosion, and severe storms have the potential to severely impact their economies.[7]

Global goals

Small island development states are mentioned in several of the Sustainable Development Goals.[8] For example, Target 7 of Sustainable Development Goal 14 ("Life below Water") states: "By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism".[9]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Neither member nor observer of the Alliance of Small Island States
  2. ^ a b c d Associate member of regional cooperation body
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Not a member of the United Nations
  4. ^ a b c d Observer of the Alliance of Small Island States
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Neither member nor observer of regional cooperation body
  6. ^ Observer of the Alliance of Small States as part of the Netherlands Antilles
  7. ^ a b c d e f Observer of regional cooperation body
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Also a least developed country
  9. ^ a b c Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, and Suriname are included even though they are not island nations. This may be because they are low-lying coastal countries whose economies are dependent on a small number of activities. Their classification as SIDS is controversial.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States |". www.un.org. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  2. ^ "The Caribbean". UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  3. ^ "The Pacific". UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  4. ^ "The AIMS". UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  5. ^ "UNCTAD´s unofficial list of SIDS". UNCTAD. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  6. ^ "What makes a SIDS a SIDS – UNCTAD Development and Globalization: Facts and Figures 2021". Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. ^ Thomas, Adelle; Baptiste, April; Martyr-Koller, Rosanne; Pringle, Patrick; Rhiney, Kevon (2020-10-17). "Climate Change and Small Island Developing States". Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 45 (1): 1–27. doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-083355. ISSN 1543-5938.
  8. ^ United Nations (2017) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (A/RES/71/313)
  9. ^ United Nations (2017) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (A/RES/71/313)

External links

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