H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations
Small Island Developing States Partnership Framework
A Dialogue for Reviewing SIDS Partnerships
18 July 2016, 3:30-5:00PM, Conference Room 1, UNHQ
Thank you Ambassador Cardi,
I also would like to thank you and your team for the genuine partnership and cooperation we enjoy.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are very pleased to sharing our experience with the SIDS Partnership Framework with you, within this very timely Partnership Exchange.
Because of our first-hand experience with the vulnerabilities associated with being a SIDS, and given our historic advocacy on behalf of the world’s island states for the past 25 years, it is a particular honour for the Maldives to be the first Chair of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS. We have been able to set the foundation stone on which this platform will stand on, and hopefully flourish in the years to come - not only in the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway, but towards the realisation of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals. After all, the well being of the entire international community depends on the successful implementation of SDGs.
The SIDS Partnership Framework is the first of its kind, in the UN: where the target group of countries, and their partners work together in a Steering Committee, within a given set of priorities identified by the SAMOA Pathway, as well as its relationship to the 2030 Agenda, with avenues for discussion and exchange of views through the Partnerships Dialogues, and with a standardized approach to measure and report on progress through the reporting template.
The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in September 2014, adopted the theme “genuine and durable partnerships for sustainable development of SIDS”, because we know we cannot do it alone. We need durable partners that will be there for the long run, even when the going gets tough. We need genuine partners who know us well - who know our priorities, and our hopes, and will go with us in realizing them. And we need partners who are open with us: who come with a sincere desire to help.
We are continuously learning and applying changes and adopting best practices. That is why today’s dialogue is so important.
Today, we will be hearing from three partnerships, to take stock of their achievements and successes, and reflect on their challenges and how they have overcome them. In preparation for this session, w have asked them to focus on three sets of key questions:
1. What has been your biggest achievement within this partnership? What are your successes?
2. What have been the challenges? And Setbacks? What have you learnt from them? And how did you overcome them?
3. Based on your experience, what best practices can you share for working in SIDS? What are some of the lessons that can be used in other partnerships?
We will hear a short 10-minute presentation from each of the partnerships featured today. And I will request that the presenters keep to their allocated time, as the one of the objectives of today’s session is for dialogue and interaction as well. The partnerships we are featuring here today, taken together, are active across all the SIDS regions, and address key concerns of SIDS ranging from means of implementation, oceans and seas, and climate change and disaster risk reduction. And we are very interested to hear of their experiences in partnering with SIDS.
One thing is very clear: the international community is ready to work with SIDS. And there are many wonderful partnerships happening across the SIDS Regions as we speak. We need to bring more of these experiences to the forefront, as success stories, where lessons can be learnt from, and replicated in other SIDS.
From my viewpoint, the purpose of this dialogue has been achieved. We thank all the presenters, the respondents and the participants from the floor for your sharing your views today, and for being with us today. We are encouraged by your support, as we continue to work towards realizing the SAMOA Pathway. As realizing the SAMOA Pathway, will be instrumental to achieving the 2030 Agenda for SIDS.
I thank you all.
***
A Dialogue for Reviewing SIDS Partnerships
18 July 2016, 3:30-5:00PM, Conference Room 1, UNHQ
Thank you Ambassador Cardi,
I also would like to thank you and your team for the genuine partnership and cooperation we enjoy.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are very pleased to sharing our experience with the SIDS Partnership Framework with you, within this very timely Partnership Exchange.
Because of our first-hand experience with the vulnerabilities associated with being a SIDS, and given our historic advocacy on behalf of the world’s island states for the past 25 years, it is a particular honour for the Maldives to be the first Chair of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS. We have been able to set the foundation stone on which this platform will stand on, and hopefully flourish in the years to come - not only in the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway, but towards the realisation of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals. After all, the well being of the entire international community depends on the successful implementation of SDGs.
The SIDS Partnership Framework is the first of its kind, in the UN: where the target group of countries, and their partners work together in a Steering Committee, within a given set of priorities identified by the SAMOA Pathway, as well as its relationship to the 2030 Agenda, with avenues for discussion and exchange of views through the Partnerships Dialogues, and with a standardized approach to measure and report on progress through the reporting template.
The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in September 2014, adopted the theme “genuine and durable partnerships for sustainable development of SIDS”, because we know we cannot do it alone. We need durable partners that will be there for the long run, even when the going gets tough. We need genuine partners who know us well - who know our priorities, and our hopes, and will go with us in realizing them. And we need partners who are open with us: who come with a sincere desire to help.
We are continuously learning and applying changes and adopting best practices. That is why today’s dialogue is so important.
Today, we will be hearing from three partnerships, to take stock of their achievements and successes, and reflect on their challenges and how they have overcome them. In preparation for this session, w have asked them to focus on three sets of key questions:
1. What has been your biggest achievement within this partnership? What are your successes?
2. What have been the challenges? And Setbacks? What have you learnt from them? And how did you overcome them?
3. Based on your experience, what best practices can you share for working in SIDS? What are some of the lessons that can be used in other partnerships?
We will hear a short 10-minute presentation from each of the partnerships featured today. And I will request that the presenters keep to their allocated time, as the one of the objectives of today’s session is for dialogue and interaction as well. The partnerships we are featuring here today, taken together, are active across all the SIDS regions, and address key concerns of SIDS ranging from means of implementation, oceans and seas, and climate change and disaster risk reduction. And we are very interested to hear of their experiences in partnering with SIDS.
One thing is very clear: the international community is ready to work with SIDS. And there are many wonderful partnerships happening across the SIDS Regions as we speak. We need to bring more of these experiences to the forefront, as success stories, where lessons can be learnt from, and replicated in other SIDS.
From my viewpoint, the purpose of this dialogue has been achieved. We thank all the presenters, the respondents and the participants from the floor for your sharing your views today, and for being with us today. We are encouraged by your support, as we continue to work towards realizing the SAMOA Pathway. As realizing the SAMOA Pathway, will be instrumental to achieving the 2030 Agenda for SIDS.
I thank you all.
***
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