Wu Hongbo Named Secretary-General of 2014 Third International Conference

on Small Island Developing States

 

On 21 November, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon nominated Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, as the Secretary-General for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States.

The Conference, which will be held in Apia, Samoa, in 2014 (date to be decided), will seek a renewed political commitment to address the special needs and vulnerabilities of the small island developing States by focusing on practical and pragmatic actions.  Building on assessments of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation, the Conference will aim to identify new and emerging challenges and opportunities for sustainable development of those States, particularly through the strengthening of partnerships between small islands and the international community.

In additions, the Conference will provide an opportunity for the elaboration of sustainable development issues of concern to small island developing States in the process of charting the post-2015 development agenda, including the sustainable development goals.

Building on the success and lessons learned from the recent Rio+20 process, Mr. Wu has offered the full support of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.  That Department will work closely with Gyan Chandra Acharya, the United Nations High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.  In supporting the Conference, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs will work with other United Nations departments, the regional commissions and the United Nations system as a whole, while mobilizing relevant intergovernmental organizations and major groups, to ensure that the Conference makes a concrete and meaningful contribution to the sustainable development of small island developing States.

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For information media • not an official record