Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, good evening; I speak from Small Island Development States and would like to highlight and emphasize on the following points.
1. We agree with the statements of Maldives on behalf of the Alliance of Small Islands Developing States (ASOIS) and other member states that have already highlighted and emphasized that SIDS have unique challenges which must be taken into high consideration. We also agree and reiterate that the Samoa Pathway must be integrated into the Post-2015 Development Agenda as it provides a framework for acknowledging and addressing the special situation of SIDS. Importantly, we also want to emphasize that the Post 2015 Agenda must take into consideration the centrality of climate change as a key mitigating factor in addressing development concerns.
2. We also remind you that the issues of young people are critical. We call for your attention to 6 main areas critical to the livelihoods of young people in SIDS: good governance and youth participation, health, climate change and biodiversity; water, oceans and sustainable energy, education, entrepreneurship and employment, and science and technology.
3. Despite these 6 priorities and as a result of the SIDS Pre-conference Youth Forum, young people across all SIDS regions have identified their regional specific priorities and interventions based on the present gaps: AIMS have emphasized the need for regional cooperation, synergy and connectivity such as agreements that allow visa-free entry within the region; they call for volunteering schemes in place across all sectors to address youth unemployment and an agenda that promotes ocean-based economy. Caribbean young people emphasize the need for governments and all stakeholders to strengthen youth involvement in the reduction of gender based violence and promote social protection through youth-centred technology. Lastly, the pacific young people call for the recognition of spiritual approaches to advancing youth development in upholding cultural identity and spiritual wellbeing; they call for the use of sports as a vehicle to foster development, social inclusion and peace, strengthen education, promote health and build life skills among young people. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without a common vision, intergenerational and inclusive dialogue, and solidarity with young people.
4. Given the urgent development issues of SIDS we call for careful attention to ensure that targets and indicators are robust, relevant and measurable and reiterate that a transformative agenda must be underpinned by Means of Implementation which takes into the consideration the areas of importance for SIDS particularly the need for a comprehensive financing framework. We also draw to the attention of Member States the concrete proposals in the SAMOA Pathway for the institutional support of SIDS and call for a coherent and coordinated framework for building the capacity of SIDS for implementation.
5. We call for the inclusion of a strong mutual accountability framework within the Post 2015 Agenda and emphasize that ensuring full and true partnerships with all stakeholders is the only way to guarantee that the Post 2015 Development Agenda will become a lived reality beyond the confines of the United Nations and the bureaucratic structures of our national governments.
