Statement by H.E. Dr. Dessima Williams,
Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations
On Behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States
At the
Opening of the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the 17th
Meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development
23 February 2009
check against delivery
Honourable Minister/Madam Chair
Excellencies
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Member States of the Alliance of Small Island States
(AOSIS).
We would like to align ourselves with the statement made by the Distinguished Permanent Representative
of the Sudan, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
I would also like to join the previous speakers in congratulating you on your election as Chairperson of
the Seventeenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, and to convey my best wishes
for your success and the success of these sessions under your stewardship.
My delegation thanks the Secretary-General for his very helpful series of reports, which were prepared for
this meeting.
Madam, Chair
In 1987, the Brundtland Commission, established by the General Assembly, produced a report entitled
Our Common Future, which laid forth the aspirations and struggles of sustainable development.
Namely, the Commission stated that sustainable development was founded on the concept of
intergenerational equity, that in our global growth we must meet, and I quote, ?the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.?end of quote. Madam
Chair, all of which still remain before us 22 years later.
This year, we should not forget the Commission?s pillar of intergenerational equity as we address the
cross-cutting issue of climate change, which, for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) poses a treat that
affects all development sectors (including land/water/agricultural and rural development). It is a moral ?
and legal ? imperative that all member states must immediately commit to action that collectively ensures
the development aspirations and survival of all nations. AOSIS, and our future generations of islanders,
will accept nothing less.
Madame Chair,
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), as a whole, is of singular importance to small
island developing states; it is our sole intergovernmental follow-up platform for our sustainable
development goals, as mandated by the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation (MSI) and the Barbados
Programme of Action (BPoA). Therefore, we look forward to a truly interactive dialogue not only on our
own SIDS discussions, but also within all six thematic areas under the CSD umbrella.
SIDS sustainable development goals are already identified and can often be immediately implemented
through direct partnerships. In many instances, we already know our needs or policy options, and we are
cautious of being ?overstudied? and ?over-workshopped? at the sake of implementation. We seek to
improve our direct access to development funding mechanisms, including the Global Environment Fund
(GEF), and seek a more responsive structure within global development strategies which address our
unique barriers, geographies and challenges.
For SIDS, climate adaptation impacts are truly ?cross-cutting? and should be mainstreamed in national
development strategies, including those of food security, agriculture, rural development, land and coastal
management; mainstreaming should also occur across SIDS government agencies.
Madame Chair,
Food security challenges for SIDS can be improved with partnerships, which address reliance on
imported food (reduce vulnerability to price shocks) by strengthening domestic agriculture in a climatesensitive
context. Strengthened domestic agriculture would also provide valuable economic opportunities
for rural communities, key among them rural women farmers, their families and community networks.
For many SIDS, food security must also increase the coastal health of subsistence fishing and marine
areas, particularly in rural communities. The continued decline of our coastal subsistence and marine
commercial fisheries poses an equally-grave threat to our continued economic health and survival.
Among other strategies, we should also support and integrate sustainable agricultural practices for SIDS,
which both reduce erosion and minimize the use of fertilizer and agro-chemical methods, which may
harm our vital watersheds and coastal areas. Such strategies will require the utilization of new
technologies, and should prevent and help control potential invasive alien species.
Madame Chair,
In many SIDS, rural communities are not only stewards of our most valuable natural resources, but they
are also guardians of our traditional culture and self-definition. Our unique remote geography leaves
many of our rural communities with heightened vulnerability to the growing impacts of climate change.
However, our limited infrastructure can often not bear greater urbanization. Urban migration and rural
poverty can be reduced simultaneously by improved market access, as well as through comprehensive
planning strategies which integrate diversified tourism, agricultural production, rural development and
?ground up? environmental conservation initiatives.
Madame Chair,
Many SIDS are, by definition, land-scarce; our unique geography dictates that land is thus a central pillar
of our economic, social and cultural self-definition. However, our land resources are threatened by
multiple factors, including deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and the growing vulnerability to
natural hazard events including unwelcomed weather patterns, storms and coastal erosion. It is important
that comprehensive land and rural development strategies are ?bottom up? and integrate local consultation
as well as traditional cultural knowledge with the achievement of global sustainable development goals;
in this way, our local communities can share ownership and responsibility for global sustainable
development goals. Comprehensive and climate-sensitive land strategies should also strengthen the
collection and integration of localized data-monitoring into decision-making and enforcement
mechanisms.
Madame Chair,
For many SIDS, coastal erosion is a visible and growing impact of climate change. This form of
desertification for SIDS can be addressed by a conservation-oriented climate adaptation and agricultural
strategies (such as mangrove planting and coral reef conservation), developed working in a participatory
process which builds resiliency for local and rural communities. Such planning processes must not only
be applied to reduce erosion-stress upon our land, but also to ensure the continued viability of our ocean
and coastal resources. These comprehensive climate strategies can also address drought issues, including
the growing threat of water security and salinization due to saltwater intrusion.
Madame Chair,
We now have outlined only a few of our collective policy options as SIDS. We look forward to your
strong leadership and personal commitment in catalyzing a truly interactive and progressive discussion of
these critical issues, both this week as well as during the forthcoming CSD main session. It is our pleasure
to work with you for success. We look forward to your proposal of policy measures and effective action.
Madam Chair, last but not least, AOSIS looks forward to the CSD playing an active role in the review of
the MSI next year.
I thank you, Madam Chair
