The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Future Forum 2024 is poised to mark a significant milestone in the journey towards sustainable development for island nations. Set against the backdrop of increasing challenges such as climate change, economic vulnerability, and social inequality, this event aims to galvanize policymakers, development partners, academic experts, and researchers to shape a transformative agenda for the next decade.
Laying the Groundwork
Scheduled as a precursor to the Fourth International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda, the Forum is designed to foster collaboration and innovation in addressing the critical issues facing SIDS. To be successful, SIDS4 will need clear pathways for island states to overcome a range of challenges: from debt sustainability to decreasing productive capacity, increasingly devastating climatic events, and constraints in accessing climate finance needed to address these challenges.
These solutions should be grounded in the best available science and good practice. As such, the Future Forum will bring together global experts in topics for island nations including climate change, economic diversification, social inclusion, and institutional capacity building stakeholders to identify the policy pathways to empower SIDS communities and forge a pathway toward resilience and prosperity.
Central to the Forum’s objectives is the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI), which has commissioned 12 policy-focused research papers exploring key themes including but not limited to Resilient Economies, A Secure Future, and Environmental Protection – and identifying the ways to implement their findings. The culmination of the Forum will see the dissemination of research papers and a synthesis paper, providing a comprehensive roadmap for SIDS stakeholders to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Building the Pathways
The future of SIDS demands dedicated solutions and collaborative action, as H.E. Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa’olelei Luteru, Permanent Representative of Samoa to the United Nations and Chair of AOSIS, expressed in an address last year, “We need to have a tighter, coordinated, and coherent approach to our development. We need to bring the national, regional and global levels together. Let us start thinking outside the box and formulate our own home-grown solutions to our problems. Let us lead by sharing our experiences and best practices within and across our sub-regions.”
In essence, the SIDS Future Forum 2024 represents a pivotal moment for island nations to collectively envision and realize a future characterized by resilience, sustainability, and prosperity. As SIDS continue to chart their course amidst a rapidly changing global landscape, the Forum stands as a beacon of hope and determination towards a brighter and more sustainable future for all. By harnessing evidence-based insights and fostering collaboration between academia, policymakers, and civil society, the Forum endeavors to catalyze actionable strategies that will lead to tangible outcomes by 2034.
Get Involved!
For interested persons and organizations interested in participating in the SIDS Future Forum there are several opportunities to contribute, with virtual attendance possible through registration at: SIDS Future Forum.
Day 1 will host in-person sessions in New York for SIDS missions and development partners, while Day 2 offers a virtual, invitation-only event to engage SIDS civil society across different time zones, particularly in the Caribbean, AIS, and Pacific regions.
