A meeting of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for Small Island Developing States, organized by Belize and Portugal, Co-Chairs of the Committee, together with UN DESA and OHRLLS
14 July 2026, 11 AM – 12.30 PM, Conference Room 11, UNHQ
On 14 July 2026, Belize and Portugal, as Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for Small Island Developing States, together with UN DESA and OHRLLS, will organize a meeting of the Steering Committee in the margins of the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The meeting will focus on how Voluntary National Review processes can help strengthen implementation follow-up, partnership-building and SDG acceleration in SIDS.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for SIDS and their partners to exchange experiences on the VNR process, share practical approaches and identify partnership opportunities arising from national review and dialogue processes. Discussions will consider how VNR findings can be translated into practical follow-up actions, including targeted support, South-South and triangular cooperation, and linkages to investment and project preparation pathways through the SIDS Global Business Network and the Island Investment Forum.
Objectives
- Provide a space for countries to present experiences, challenges and lessons learned in preparing VNRs, including practical approaches to stakeholder engagement, data and coordination.
- Identify opportunities for South-South and triangular cooperation on leveraging VNRs to enhance partnerships and accelerate SDG implementation, including cross-regional peer learning among SIDS subregions and targeted support from partners.
- Promote approaches for translating VNR findings, data and analysis into implementable actions and partnerships after the HLPF.
Outcomes
- A short Co-Chairs’ summary note capturing practical lessons, common bottlenecks and recommended solutions.
- A simple list of peer-learning requests and partner offers.
- Identification of potential actionable partnership ideas to be taken forward under the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS, including possible topics for future Partnership Labs.
Guiding questions
