Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Colleagues,
One year ago, in the city of St. John¡¯s, we adopted the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, charting a bold, ten-year course towards resilient prosperity for Small Island Developing States.
Today, we commemorate this historic milestone ¡ªnot just with celebration but with a renewed commitment to action.
The year since has seen a rich, powerful alignment of the multilateral agenda with SIDS priorities:
? The Third UN Ocean Conference issued a visionary Call for Action to protect ocean health and strengthen blue economies SIDS depend on.
? The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development committed to unlocking innovative mechanisms for scaled and predictable finance for vulnerable economies.
? From the ECOSOC Youth Forum to the HLPF, and several other UN and intergovernmental meetings, a clear message has emerged: the international community stands firmly with SIDS, reinforcing the objectives of ABAS.
As the secretariat for ABAS, my Department, UN DESA, is fully committed to supporting its implementation over the next decade.
The guidance from the SIDS Ambassadorial Meeting in March is key to shaping support to SIDS.
Informed by that guidance¡ªand decisions from the UNOC3, FfD4, and other forums, we are finalizing a Comprehensive Strategy of Support to SIDS.
This strategy will guide our convening, analytical, and capacity-building work, ensuring that each and every initiative directly advances both ABAS and the SDGs.
Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to report that the Inter-Agency Task Force has completed its work on developing the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework for ABAS.
The Framework will be reflected in the Secretary-General¡¯s report to the 80th session of the General Assembly.
We strongly recommend its formal review and endorsement by the UN Statistical Commission to ensure methodological rigor and system-wide coherence.
Work on the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, or MVI, also advances, anchored in its General Assembly mandate.
While the liquidity constraints have slowed some activities, the Interim MVI Secretariat¡¯s direction remains clear and driven by the resolve of Member States.
Looking ahead, DESA continues to support the development of the SIDS Centre of Excellence, SIDS Data Hub, and SIDS Debt Sustainability Support Services.
Excellencies,
Dear colleagues,
Time and again, SIDS have consistently proven their power to unite and shape global agenda and norms.
I reaffirm UN DESA¡¯s unwavering support and my own absolute commitment to your cause.
Let us use the momentum of this anniversary to accelerate implementation, and transform the promise of ABAS into resilient prosperity for every island community.
Thank you.