Deliver on Commitments Under Antigua and Barbuda Agenda to Ensure Resilient Prosperity in Small Island Developing States, Deputy Secretary-General Urges as Conference Ends

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the closing plenary of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4), in Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, today:

I am delighted to be with you for this closing session of the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States.

Allow me to begin by expressing my deep gratitude to our Antiguan friends for their warm and generous hospitality.  I also thank Member States, the UN system, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society and youth who have united as a team in Saint John’s behind a shared ambition — to get the development journeys of SIDS back on track and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

This is a critical juncture for SIDS as has been highlighted consistently over the last days.  SIDS are at the front line of climate change.  Sea-level rise and more frequent extreme weather events continue to threaten SIDS despite their insignificant contribution to carbon emissions.  Record temperatures demonstrate we are not on track to meet the 1.5 target that SIDS depend on.

Over the last four years, sustainable development prospects for SIDS have worsened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict and continued economic turmoil, adding to an already challenging landscape because of their unique vulnerabilities.

Yet, we have reasons for great hope and optimism.  The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS provides concrete guidance to our collective efforts to support SIDS to achieve resilient prosperity.

The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS presents a vision for the future SIDS want:  Where SIDS’ economies develop the resilience that will allow them to withstand shocks. Where their populations continue to enjoy the uniqueness of island life and are safe, healthy, productive and prosperous; where access to food, energy and water is secure.  Where biodiversity is protected, the ocean and its resources are conserved and action on climate change meets the urgency of the moment.

The Centre of Excellence with its Data Hub and the Debt Sustainability Support Service for SIDS — will foster SIDS-led solutions and will serve as a platform for private sector engagement with SIDS.

To achieve the ambitions, the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS calls for the recognition and measurement of vulnerabilities and for significant new financing — at scale and directed to where it matters most.

Upon the request of Member States, the Secretary-General convened a high-level meeting on mobilization of resources resulting in a call to action that sets out transformative priority areas, from reforms to the international financial architecture to give SIDS a seat to the inclusion of vulnerability criteria for the allocation of concessional finance.  The path has been set, yet success is not automatic.  Success relies on each of us stepping up in partnerships that are timely, robust and effective.  Over the course of the last four days many of you have made commitments to make the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS a reality.

We have heard announcements about the ratification of the BBNJ [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction], about knowledge hubs, facilities and mechanisms to support efforts for the stewardship of the oceans, fisheries, renewable energy and energy efficiency, about South-South cooperation around green and blue bonds and pledges for the rechannelling of Special Drawing Rights to provide additional financing for SIDS and to mobilize public and private investments towards SIDS initiatives.

Early warning and anticipatory responses to safeguard food security have been highlighted in your discussions, in particular in light of worrying forecasts of what to expect in the context of El Nino and in the future.

Your discussions have also drawn attention to the aspirations of SIDS for inclusive and shared prosperity, with commitments towards increased social protection and availability of insurance schemes, support for children as they bear the burdens of SIDS’ systemic vulnerabilities, nature-based livelihood models and harnessing of digital tools, science and innovation to create opportunities for everyone, everywhere, and as a means to overcome remoteness and limited capacities.

Allow me to join many of you in insisting about the need for inclusive and meaningful engagement with civil society, including women organizations and youth, in the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS.  No effort should be spared to ensure that the voices of vulnerable and marginalized groups in SIDS are heard, including persons with disabilities, older persons and Indigenous Peoples.

We recognize the commitments that have been brought to the table, the European Union, Netherlands, Germany, the United States.  We hope others will also step up.

The UN will heed the call for more effective support of SIDS.  We are committed to delivering a robust monitoring and evaluation framework, accessible for SIDS to effectively account for our efforts to implement the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS.

Our UN family will join your efforts at all levels — globally we will work with you to meet the 1.5 target, towards increased finance and simplified processes; at the regional level connecting multi-country offices and SIDS teams with the expertise and skills that are needed for the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda and at the national level where change needs to show in the quality of people’s lives.

On the ground, our resident coordinators and UN country teams will be working hand in hand with all partners to support SIDS in their transition to digital, green and blue economies that deliver resilient prosperity and sustainable development for the populations of the SIDS.

Looking ahead, the Summit of the Future in September will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalize multilateralism to achieve more fair and effective outcomes, delivering on the promise to leave no country and no one behind.

I call on all of you to channel your contributions, innovations and ingenuity, as demonstrated over the course of the last four days, into this convening.  We must aim towards a strong and ambitious outcome that reflects the aspirations of SIDS which are not different to our collective aspiration for a prosperous sustainable future.

In 2025, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development will address critical financing issues and support reform of the international financial architecture and we must work towards COP30 [Thirtieth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] to ensure we get the renewed, ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions we need.

SIDS have set out their vision, and these again will be opportunities to take the agenda forward.  As we prepare to leave Antigua, let us remember that this Conference marks the beginning of a journey.  Our responsibilities do not stop here.  The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS must guide our efforts toward 2030 and for the next decade.

When we meet in 10 years’ time, I hope that we are speaking of how the work we have begun here made Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement a reality, transforming the lives of the people living in islands stretching from the Pacific to the Caribbean, to the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea. And how we have paved their path to resilient prosperity for future generations.

Let us go forward with renewed hope and determination and commit to a decade of delivery for SIDS.