UN Associate Members Prepared for 4th SIDS Conference in Antigua and Barbuda

Representatives from the Associate Members of the United Nations (UN) regional commissions in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Pacific, have expressed their readiness for the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The conference is scheduled to take place in Antigua and Barbuda from May 27th to 30th, 2024.

During the recent UN SIDS Inter-regional Preparatory Meeting held in Cape Verde from August 31st to September 2nd, representatives from Aruba, the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cook Islands, and Guadeloupe expressed their gratitude to Ambassador H.E. Dr. Walton Webson for Antigua and Barbuda’s leadership in hosting the 2024 international SIDS meeting. They also commended the country’s efforts in shaping a new SIDS program of action for the next decade.

Ambassador Webson congratulated the Associate Members on their active participation in the SIDS inter-regional preparatory meeting, as well as their engagement in prior regional SIDS preparatory meetings in the Caribbean and Pacific. He encouraged the 13 Associate Members of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the 7 Associate Members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to attend next year’s SIDS meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, emphasizing their status as SIDS in need of international support.

In particular, Ambassador Webson commended the British Virgin Islands (BVI) for its significant role in rallying SIDS support for the Associate Members and successfully advocating for their inclusion in the official Outcome Document of the UN SIDS Inter-regional Preparatory Meeting. The Outcome Document acknowledges the Associate Members’ need for international support in achieving their SIDS sustainable development agenda and building resilience against external shocks. It calls for international measures and support to be extended to them.

Mr. Benito Wheatley, Special Envoy of the British Virgin Islands, expressed gratitude to Ambassador Webson for the unwavering support provided by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in addressing the needs of the Associate Members as SIDS going forward.

The Associate Members of ECLAC include Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, BVI, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Sint Maarten, St. Martin, and Turks and Caicos Islands. On the other hand, the Associate Members of ESCAP include American Samoa, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia, Niue, and the Northern Mariana Islands.