Informal SIDS Partnership Dialogue
UNEP Speaking Points
New York, 25 June 2015
1:15 PM - 3:00 PM
Conference Room 3, UNHQ
Thank you for this opportunity to provide information on how UNEP is working to translate the vision of the SAMOA Pathway into action, by operationalizing the SIDS specific partnerships we launched prior to and during the Third International Conference on SIDS last September.
Some of the key partnerships that saw substantial development over the past months include those on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and the blue economy for SIDS through the Regional Seas network. Today however, allow me to focus on progress that has been made on the SIDS component of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10 YFP), Ref# 2417.
Promoting sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is at the heart of sustainable development, as both an overarching objective of, and essential requirement for, achieving sustainable development. This has been emphasized in the Rio+20 outcome document “The Future We Want” and with the adoption of the 10YFP.
SCP is now a central and transversal element of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the 10YFP recognized as one of the potential implementation mechanisms.
The crucial importance of the shift towards SCP was clearly emphasized in the Samoa Pathway. In this landmark document, the international community recognized the need to support and invest in SIDS, highlighting critical areas of action for SCP in accordance with national objectives, needs and priorities.
Indeed, promoting SCP in areas such as agriculture, tourism, energy, waste management, resource efficiency and an integrated management of natural resources, can unlock multiple benefits for the societies and economies of SIDS. This can be done through increasing resilience by conserving generally restricted natural resource base, supporting the adaptation to a changing climate or creating sustainable employment opportunities.
It is within this context that the Samoa Pathway calls for support for SIDS to develop and implement SCP projects and policies under the 10YFP, strengthening cooperation and capacities to shift to SCP patterns and secure associated benefits, by mobilizing the relevant stakeholders and drawing on best practices from around the world.
In response, the “SCP for SIDS initiative” within the 10YFP was launched at the Samoa Conference. It aims to support the active participation of SIDS in the 10YFP, and to promote the shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns as a pathway for SIDS to realize sustainable development.
A first regional meeting was held in Barbados from 27 to 29 January 2015, to advance the Caribbean implementation of this initiative. Three priority areas were discussed: sustainable tourism, integrated waste management and sustainable lifestyles and education.
The First Global Meeting of the 10YFP, held in May this year in New York, also gathered Member States and stakeholders for a dialogue on SCP as a pathway to sustainable development for SIDS. The event clearly illustrated that SIDS are already at the vanguard of implementation. It underscored their political will and commitment to implement SCP at national level, including through development planning. Participants emphasized that SCP increased the resilience of economies, helped to utilize the scarce resources of SIDS in a more efficient manner, and contributed to creating sustainable employment through innovation. It was also stressed that the 10YFP “SCP for SIDS initiative” should be dedicated to providing capacity-building and technical and financial support for implementing projects at the local level.
Strong emphasis was put on SIDS’ high impact sectors, including tourism, which accounts for $38 billion of earnings per year, contributes more than 60 % of GDP and 50% of employment in some SIDS. Tourism operations are typically characterized by high operating costs and levels of imports, unsustainable resource consumption and impacts related to waste generation and pollution.
How to address this challenge? Under the 10YFP, UNEP is collaborating on a flagship project proposal with three Caribbean governments (Barbados, the Bahamas and Jamaica) to advance resource and energy efficiency in tourism economies. Objectives are to reduce their fossil fuel dependency and consequent operational cost through climate smart energy investments; to safely remove and dispose inefficient energy-consuming products; and to transition to more resource efficient tourism value chain operations. The project is an example of a concrete and large-scale activity, which we hope will receive strong support and visibility, and which will directly contribute to the “SCP for SIDS initiative”.
Let me close by reiterating UNEP’s strong commitment to supporting our SIDS partners, and ensuring that the partnerships that we launched and showcased in Samoa are both durable and impactful, and bring real and sustained support to those living in your beautiful islands.
