The main purpose of this activity is the coordination of Small Island Developing States response to cities and other human settlements coping with climate change and sustainable land use, contributing to the participatory analysis of challenges faced by SIDS, to foster awareness building around the relevance of the mentioned topics and to the strengthening of SIDS position in the global debate on development. Detailed objectives related to the project expected accomplishments are:<?xml:namespace>
· To share experiences and methodologies with regard to cities in SIDS facing climate change and land use constraints, land governance or land degradation.
· To strengthen partnerships between SIDS at national and city levels.
· To discuss the rationale and contents of a possible sustainable urbanization goal that could be considered for inclusion in the ‘Post-2015 UN Development Agenda' as part of the post-Rio+20 ‘Sustainable Development Goals'.
· To sensitize SIDS countries on the SIDS Conference in Samoa in 2014 and the Habitat III Conference in 2016, in order that national and regional preparations can be undertaken and a common position can be discussed vis-à-vis the sustainability of cities in small islands environments.
The project also contributes towards several common global development objectives, facilitating relevant internal and external partnerships. AusAID, the main development partner of this project, has related strategic goals directly, to be addressed by this project:
· Sustainable Economic Development: reducing the impacts of climate change and other environmental factors through improved awareness of sustainable urbanisation, planning, land use to mitigate climate change and adapt to rising sea levels and changing climatic conditions
· Effective Governance: The Ministerial conference will seek to improve urban, and in particular land governance to deliver better services, improve security and enhance justice and human rights through sensitisation of key issues and ministerial commitment in the conference declaration.
· Humanitarian and disaster response: more effective preparedness to disasters and crises in SIDS countries through improves strategies and systems for disaster mitigation and prevention as part of improved urban planning and land management approaches.
In order to reach SIDS countries in an effective way, strategic related external partners (other than the requesting partner) have been invited, such as the CARICOM and the Pacific Forum Secretariat, who shall work together with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (HAP lead). For the technical support, universities will participate and support knowledge identification and management: University of South Pacific, University of West Indies and Griffith University, Australia. They shall be the lead organizations in monitoring follow-up after the project implementation. Other Universities may join in this role upon later confirmation. It is also expected that other Society sectors such as SIDS networks and NGOs are invited to participate and contribute to the project, such as SIDSnet, PacificSIDS, Blue Space Caribbean.
Other UN agencies have an important role as external partners, particularly the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs SIDS Unit, UNDP and UNEP. The United Nations has been assisting and extending cooperation to SIDS in their sustainable development efforts through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States finalized at the Global Conference held in Barbados in 1994, known also as the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA). This programme was reviewed and revamped at the five-year review held at the Twenty-second special session of the General Assembly in 1999, and the ten-year review held in Mauritius (10-14 January 2005). The latter outcome is known as the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI). The UN-OHRLLS mandate from the General Assembly calls upon the Office to engage in advocacy and mobilization of international support and resources for the implementation of the Programme of Action for SIDS.
During the Rio + 20 Conference, concern was raised upon the 5-year review of the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation (MSI+5) concluding that “SIDS have made less progress than most other groupings, or even regressed, in economic terms, especially in terms of poverty reduction and debt sustainability. Sea-level rise and other adverse impacts of climate change continue to pose a significant risk to SIDS and their efforts to achieve sustainable development and for many represent the gravest of threats to their survival and viability, including for some through the loss of territory[1]”. As a result, the need for enhanced and continued support from the UN System was stressed and the assembling of the Third International Conference on SIDS in 2014 was recommended. Both recommendations were endorsed by the General Assembly and the SIDS Conference is expected to take place in Samoa in September 2014.
Even though the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean will take the lead, the whole project has been continuously discussed and coordinated with the Urban Planning and Design Branch, as well as with the Urban Legislation, Land and Governance Branch, providing the necessary source for high-level policy advice but also for knowledge management and advocacy.
[1] The Future We Want (United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Outcome Document), paragraphs 178 – 180.
