(5th meeting) High-Level Political Forum 2026

Dear colleagues, let's, let's start. The 5th meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council at its 2026 session, is called to order. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, thanks. I invite the Forum to resume its consideration of Sub-item B of Agenda Item 2, Thematic Review, to hold an interactive panel discussion on the theme Small Island Developing States: Strategies for SDG Success. This is the first year in which progress on a SIDS Programme of Action is being monitored through a dedicated monitoring and evaluation framework. Recognizing the need for a multi-pronged approach to accelerating the Antigua and Barbuda agenda for SEEDS implementation, this discussion will examine those key building blocks that remain persistent but are fundamental to achieving ABAS goals, namely: strong public institutions and improved institutional coordination, targeted capacity development, modernized data systems, and adequate development finance. I am now pleased to welcome our guest speakers as well as our moderator, Deputy Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and Grenadines to the United Nations. I now hand over the conduct of the discussion to the moderator. You have the floor.

Thank you, Excellency. Good morning to our distinguished colleagues and participants. I'm delighted to have been given this opportunity to moderate this session. My name is Vinette Frederick, for those of you who may not yet know me, and I am the new Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Small Island Developing state, for which this conversation is not just important, it's critical. So I'm very much looking forward to hearing all that is discussed today. It is my honor to introduce our distinguished panelists, who are as follows: Mr. Lee Junoah, our Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs here at the UN; Mr. Eustace Wallace, the Minister-Counselor of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations; His Excellency Mr. Vaingatoni, Permanent Representative of Tonga to the United Nations, and Mr. Matthew Bishop, Co-Director of Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative, RESI. Now, before I go to our panel, I hope you'll indulge me a little bit. I hope you can see me as well. I feel somewhat shorter than I really am up here. Speaking for the lived experience of my own Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, The challenges we SIDS face don't come from a lack of ambition or commitment. Indeed, I think we bat way above our weight. Our countries have consistently invested in sustainable development, often well beyond what our size and fiscal space would suggest that we're able to. But progress remains constrained because many of the barriers we face are structural. We continue to grapple with high debt burdens, limited fiscal space, restricted access to affordable development finance. We are committed to human capital development. However, implementing ABAS requires not only national ownership and coherence, but also support for enhanced institutional capacity and predictable international support that factors in our unique vulnerabilities. So operationalizing tools like the MVI can help to facilitate this much-needed access to concession. And so I'm looking forward to hearing St. Kitts and Nevis on the panel today, whose situation with their successful completion of the MVI country profile pilots demonstrates that empirical tools are ready for deployment. ABASS should therefore serve as the framework for aligning international support around nationally determined priorities rather than donor-driven initiatives. Having said that, I am pleased now to share a video message from His Excellency Mr. Serangel Whips Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, AOSIS. Let's pay attention to his presentation by video.

Ali, and warm greetings from the Republic of Palau. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, and my fellow island brothers and sisters, it is an honor to address you today at the 2026 High-Level Political Forum I want to thank the President of the Economic and Social Council for keeping the spotlight exactly where it belongs— on the front lines of the global climate and development crisis, our Small Island Developing States. Just over 2 years ago, we gathered in Antigua and Barbuda and adopted ABAS, a renewed declaration for resilient prosperity. But let's be honest with ourselves today. For us in the islands, the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda was never just another piece of paper to file away. It wasn't just UN jargon. It was a bold statement of confidence in our survival. It was a declaration to the world that while our vulnerabilities are real, they do not define us. And despite the rising seas and the economic storms battering our shores, we are determined to navigate our own course. But friends, we are 2 years in. The honeymoon is over. The time for flowery speeches and grand promises has passed. Today, the question is simple. What is it going to take to turn our ambition into real, measurable action? In Palau, we know that if you want to build a traditional bai, our community meeting house, it must rest on solid, unshakable pillars. If even one pillar is weak, the whole bai collapses when the typhoon hits. For SIDS, our buy of sustainable development rests on 3 interconnected pillars: financing, data, and capacity. Let's start with the first pillar, financing, and let's call it what it is. The current international financial architecture is broken. It is outdated, and frankly, it is unjust. Right now, too many of our island nations are trapped in a bureaucratic twilight zone. We are told we are too wealthy for concessional aid based on outdated GDP metrics, yet we are one severe storm away from economic ruin. How does that make sense? A single typhoon can wipe out generations of development overnight. That is why integrating vulnerability into financing isn't just a preferred policy, it is a matter of survival. We welcome the Sevilla Commitment. We applaud the work on the Multi-Vulnerability Index and the SIDS Center for Excellence. But let me tell you, our people back home cannot eat commitments. They cannot build seawalls out out of outcome documents. Progress isn't measured by the PDFs we generate in New York. It is measured by the funds landing on the ground to build resilient infrastructure, scale up renewable energy, and protect our oceans. Investments in SIDS are not charity. They are investments in global stability. Because when islands are secure, the world is secure. The second pillar is data. In Palau, our ancestors navigated the vast Pacific by reading the stars, the waves, and the current. They had accurate data. Today, if we don't measure it, we can't manage it. And if we don't manage it, we lose our way. But let's look at the reality. SIDS are drowning in reporting requirements. We have small populations and outstretched statistical offices. We spend more time filling out complex reports for donors than we do actually implementing projects. We need tools like the SIDS Global Data Hub to relieve our burdens, not increase them. We need data that strengthens national ownership. Because when our vulnerabilities are invisible in data, we become invisible in global policy. That brings me to the final, most important pillar: capacity. It's our teachers, our planners, our local conservationists, and our youth. Our greatest asset in Palau has never been the size of our GDP. It has always been the resilience and spirit of our people. But we need to equip them. We need to invest in our local institutions so they can lead the digital transformation and manage the complex climate adaptation. We must build local capacity so that when consultants leave, the knowledge stays in the islands. Excellencies, they often call us vulnerable, but I challenge that word. SIDS are not just victims. We are hubs of innovation. For thousands of years, We have sustainably managed and continue to sustainably manage our oceans through a network of marine protected areas and sanctuaries. And together with our Pacific brothers and sisters at COP28, we committed to 100% sustainable ocean management. And last year, the Pacific led the world to ratify the BB&J Treaty. We are leading the world in renewable energy transformation. And climate advocacy. We are small states, but we make outsized contributions to this planet. We cannot paddle this canoe alone. The international community must match our local ambition with global action. No more excuses, no more delays. Right. Like the Olik, the Palauan fruit bat that flies high above the canopy to find the way forward, We must look to the future with a clear vision and bold courage. If the world cannot deliver sustainable development for its most vulnerable states, then Sustainable Development Goals have failed for everyone, everywhere. Let's get to work. Thank you.

Thank you, Excellency, for that phenomenal presentation. I dare say, a man after my own heart. Our people cannot eat commitment— words that I think we ought to hold on to. Turning to our panel, I look forward to you providing us with some recommendations that can assist us in charting a successful path forward. First, I would like to direct a question to USG Lee. 2026 is the first year that progress on the SIDS Programme of Action has been assessed using a monitoring and evaluation framework and reported in this year's Secretary-General's Report on ABAS. Can you please share with us some of the key highlights and messages from that report? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Moderator. Good morning to all the distinguished participants, Excellency. I'm very honored to be here with you again. I used to be the Conference Secretary-General for CITES IV. That we have worked together to discuss and adopt this ABAS in Antigua and Barbuda, and also initiated a number of concrete steps to implement ABAS. So today, I'm very honored to have such an opportunity to present some highlights of the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of the Abbas, which to us, to UN Secretariat, to the whole UN system, and then I guess to all the member states, Abbas actually outlines a very clear and measurable roadmap for its members to achieve the resilient prosperity. But let me just highlight 3 most urgent gaps facing the implementation of the ABAS. First, data. Second, finance. Third, coordination. And perhaps also suggest some priorities for the actions across all levels so that we can accelerate the delivery. First, what matters most? As we look at all the data, I would emphasize that a very historical milestone— for the first time in SEEDS programming for the action, a formal and substantial monitoring and evaluation framework has been established. That was one of remarkable achievements 2 years ago when we adopted the ABAS. The framework actually contains the 59 targets and the 83 indicators, most of which are aligned with the SDGs, which is very aimed to reduce the reporting burden by CIS members. So SG's report shows early but uneven mainstreaming. It is very encouraging to see that Some SEEDS members have begun integrating ABAS priorities into existing national frameworks. However, available data in SEEDS remains far below the global average. Severe structural deficiencies in the national statistical systems restrict Proper tracking of our progress, especially on climate action, poverty, hunger, gender equality, and environmental action or environmental indicators. As the President just now mentioned, financing also remained uneven. Many states remained excluded from essential concessional international financing. While coping with limited physical space due to the debt service burdens. So what matters the most and what it does tell us? Moving from the available data, those actually tell us this. The picture is sobering and clear. First, 6 economies showed a stuck overreliance on tourism. Second, SIDS suffers significant losses to natural disasters annually, which is more than double the global average. Third, SIDS members are— well, we need to see that the social disparities We see the ongoing food insecurity and undernourishment. Furthermore, imminent partner violence continues to hurt, affect women in— women in seats members. Fourth, innovation divide. There are alarming low levels of investment in research and development. A large percentage of the 6 populations still remained entirely offline. Last but not least, the 6 members are falling further behind the global average in crucial foundational metrics. Just to give you an example, upper secondary school completion rate in 6 members sits at just about 43% compared to the 61% of the global completion rate, let alone the single lag in the digital infrastructure readiness. So that is why in ABAS we have this monitoring and evaluation framework which very much aligned with the SDGs. This framework will enable the global comparity and integrated the SEEDS reporting with donors and IFIs. However, alignment alone is not enough. We believe the SEEDS need to have a significant national statistics system because the significantly lower data coverage than the global average. Many SEEDS still lack the statistical capacity, institutional coordination, and financing required to produce regular, high-quality data. Well, ultimately, the framework on monitoring and evaluation, its success depends entirely on empowering these countries to generate quality data and timely data. So the key gaps and the risks or the implications for the CITES members. The structural challenges very much lead to the critical gaps and risks. First, due to the data gaps, the progress is exceptionally difficult to assess. The SG's report is clear. Data availability is the single biggest barrier to implementation. For example, on climate action, that is the key priority for the OECD members. Fewer than 10% have reported any data since 2015. Second, the weak national statistical system. Limited digital infrastructure, and fragmented institutional coordination. All those barriers make it more difficult for governments to collect, analyze, and report data consistently. Very often, national statistical offices are frequently overburdened with multiple overlapping requests. Diverting time and resources away from producing core development data. Third, financing gap. Official Development Assistance, or ODA, and development grants traditionally heavily concentrated in a few countries, leaving broader regional needs largely underfunded. Fourthly, capacity and institutional risk. As I briefed already, national statistics system and the whole-of-government coordination remained relatively weak in many SIDS members. So all in all, risks are clear. Without better data, stronger institutions, predictable financing, SEEDS members cannot demonstrate the needs, access tailored financing, and track the progress towards the resilient progress or resilient prosperity. So what would be the recommendation for the priority areas for action? First, at the national level, we believe that SEEDS should launch the national statistics strategies by modernizing statistical legislation and enabling clear data-sharing protocols. SIDS members should adopt a prioritized national indicator set to focus limited resources on high-value indicators and early wins. Crucially, SIDS governments can also mainstream vast targets into the core government work and strengthen the whole-of-government coordination. It's not just merely up to the national statistics offices. And then at the regional and global level, development partners and IFIs must work together to provide multi-year flexible financing for data systems, digital transformations, renewable energies, water infrastructures, and others. Financing decisions should reflect the structural vulnerabilities, not just income level, so that the middle-income— the middle-income SIDS members can successfully access concessional support. And then for the UN system, the mandate is clear. We must scale the coherent and coordinated programming That is directly tied to the above indicators. Let me close by saying the framework is already there. Now we need the data, financing, and institutional support to make it operational. Together, through coordinated action, SISCAN moved from commitments on paper to measurable, financed, and resilient progress for sustainable development. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Thank you, USG Lee. You certainly have provided us with a lot of food for thought. I would like to direct an overarching question for response by all the panelists, and I would like to encourage some timing discipline. You know, they talk about fiscal discipline. We have to have some timing discipline, so everyone is going to be given 5 minutes to speak to this overarching question, which is long, long, long, long, long, long. So, there goes. We are now 4 years away from the conclusion of the SDGs and 3 years away from the midterm review of ABASS. The preceding presentation seems to indicate that we have quite a bit of ground to cover still. On several of the key priority areas in order to accelerate implementation of the SDGs and the BAS, hinting perhaps at some deep-rooted and stubborn challenges. Please tell us, panelists, what in your view are some of these challenges, giving consideration to why they are so persistent despite significant resources investments— resource investments by SIDS themselves, and the international community? Also, share what can or should be done to address them, and how can we facilitate and accelerate meaningful catch-up and progress? This is a huge question, a big question. We could speak for days to answer this question, so I'm apologizing for the time constraint. 5 minutes each. And first, let me offer Ambassador Tony the opportunity to lead us off in the discussion. Ambassador.

Thank you very much, Madam Morita. Ambassador Vinette, warm greetings, USG and colleagues. And the first part of the question is on the challenges of that are facing SIDS, 4 years before the SDG deadline and 3 years before the midterm review of ABAS. It is clear that many SIDS are not off track because of lack of ambition or effort; they are constrained by development realities that are fundamentally different from those of larger economies. These include small and dispersed populations, which increase the cost of costs of service delivery, geographic isolation and high transport costs, narrow economic bases and dependence on a few sectors, heavy reliance on imported food and energy, limited domestic resource mobilization, and extreme exposure to climate change and natural disasters. These structural factors continue to limit economic diversification digital transformation, and institutional capacity across SIDS. Many SIDS appear relatively wealthy on paper with high per capita incomes, but remain highly vulnerable in practice. The second part of the question, Madam Moderator, is about why are these changes so persistent despite significant investments into SIDS by the international community? The first challenge. The first reason is repeated shocks continually reverse development gains. Many SIDS spend as much time rebuilding as they do developing. Tonga's experience illustrates this vividly. Within a few years, we faced COVID-19, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and tsunami, global inflation and supply chain disruptions, and now energy price shocks affecting the Pacific. For many SIDS, development is not linear, but a repeated cycle of progress, disruption, recovery, and rebuilding. This means that resilience should be at the center of development planning and integrated across all of our efforts. The second is financing arrangements that still do not reflect the SIDS realities. Most SIDS have limited fiscal space and small tax bases, yet they must finance some of the world's highest adaptation and resilience costs. External finance therefore remains critical, whether through ODA, concessional lending, remittances, climate finance, or labour mobility schemes. However, these flows are vulnerable to changes in global economic conditions, and donor priorities. The third is capacity constraints remain a major bottleneck. Small administrations carry disproportionately heavy reporting and implementation burdens. The Secretary-General's report highlights weak statistical systems, limited institutional capacity, fragmented reporting requirements, and high staff turnover. In many cases, the same small teams are responsible simultaneously for implementation, coordination, reporting, and crisis response. Madam Moderator, the last part of the question is, what can or should we do to address these challenges, and how can we facilitate and accelerate meaningful catch-up in progress? In other words, what should we do differently? First, recognize vulnerability alongside income. We need international financing systems that reflect vulnerability and resilience needs, not simply GDP per capita. Thus, the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, or MVI, should become an operational tool for concessional finance, debt treatment, climate finance access, and graduation decisions. Second, invest in institutional strengthening. Greater investment is needed in public administration, data systems, digital government, national planning systems, and local implementation capacity. For SIDS, strengthening institutions may offer the greatest return on investment. Third, build predictable and long-term partnerships. SIDS benefit most from multi-year financing, flexible funding windows, reduced reporting fragmentation, and support that can adapt rapidly when shocks occur. Fourth, accelerate the renewable energy transition. Dependence on imported fossil fuels remains one of the greatest vulnerabilities of SIDS. The current energy shocks should be a wake-up call. Renewable energy transition is at the heart of building resilience in SIDS. My last point, Madam Moderator, is move from crisis response to resilience investment. The cost of prevention is significantly lower than the cost of repeated recovery. Every dollar invested in resilience reduces future humanitarian and reconstruction costs. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Ambassador Tony. I would ask the panelists, please, to try their best to abide by the 5-minute deadline. Ambassador Tony has a sweet tone of voice that allowed him to steal a few seconds over, putting you all on watch. And we'll hear from Mr Bishop in relation to the overarching question.

Thank you. Thank you, and I fear I'm going to repeat some of what Ambassador Tony said as well in my contribution. I'm going to break the question down in exactly the same way. So I think it's really important to think about how we approach these 2 milestones, the end of the SDGs and the midterm review of the ABAS, and think about the world in which that takes place. The world in which the ABAS was agreed is changing quite rapidly, and I think it will be quite different when the midterm review comes to the world in which the ABAS was born. The international environment is becoming more challenging: geopolitical fragmentation, declining development assistance, accelerating climate change that is very plainly accelerating quite rapidly now, and technological disruption are all dramatically reshaping the development panorama that faces SIDS. The ABAS remains the right agenda, there's no question about that, but its implementation must probably now adapt to a much more uncertain post-SDG world. Why has progress been so uneven? Well, the picture is mixed. This isn't a story of failure. SIDS have made important advances in a number of areas— renewable energy, education, health, ocean governance— particularly at the policy level, if not always at the implementation level. But progress has been uneven across countries within and between regions, and also across the different targets of the SDGs. And there have been losses in some places, most obviously in biodiversity, to some extent around gender equality, poverty, and so on. The defining challenge, as the Ambassador said, remains structural vulnerability to climate disasters, economic shocks, and the long-tail legacy of COVID which was twice as destructive in SIDS as compared to other developing countries. Repeatedly divert scarce resources and expensive capital from long-term development into crisis response. SIDS are continually having to build back to get to zero, rather than being able to build from zero and move forward, in many cases. And this is why, as we'll discuss in our 1 PM side event, if people would like to come, where we launch the State of SIDS report, which was published very recently with the Ambassador, defending the SIDS special case for sustainable development recognition of their vulnerabilities is so urgent. These vulnerabilities are also felt unequally. National and regional averages, and the reporting that underpins them, often conceals quite deep differences in terms of who bears the costs of shocks and who has the resources to adapt within different countries and regions. So why do these challenges persist? Well, as the Ambassador also said, most constraints lie beyond the control of SIDS themselves. Many SDGs depend on global public goods, from climate mitigation to an enabling international financial system, and these are often the areas in which progress has actually been slow. The things that SIDS do have control over tend to be the things that they've done quite well in. And these structural challenges are likely to worsen for the reasons I intimated earlier: geopolitical upheaval, declining development assistance, and so on, all mean that we're entering perhaps a slightly less auspicious era. Than the contemporary one. But SIDS also have agency, but the problem is that even very good policy cannot eliminate structural vulnerability. Jamaica's recent experience, I think, illustrates this quite dramatically. Years of quite difficult and painful fiscal reforms that saw it bring its debt-to-GDP ratio down from around 150% of GDP to almost 60% of GDP— significant achievement in very difficult circumstances— have finally led to a debate in Jamaica about 18 months ago about what to spend that fiscal space on. Where was the place to direct the newfound development finance that was available to the government? And then all of a sudden, a major hurricane hits that causes huge amounts of damage— $9 billion to $12 billion, depending on which calculations you want to accept. And those losses far exceed the available financing, and those losses are on a scale that few other countries have to contemplate. In relative terms. Few other countries have to experience shocks that can amount to 100% or 200% of GDP overnight. That's really what vulnerability is all about. So what can we do? Well, the central challenge for SIDS is not one of ambition or innovation. It's the mismatch between the scale of their vulnerabilities, the destructiveness of those shocks, and the systems of finance, knowledge, and governance that are available to address them. If the SDGs were about recognizing vulnerability, The next phase must be about enabling transformation, and from ODI-REZI's perspective, we make 3 broad recommendations. The first is the importance of reforming international finance so that access reflects structural vulnerability in a substantive way, not simply income, while expanding access to concessional finance, debt solution, and innovative risk-sharing mechanisms, and there are plenty of ideas for how that can happen swimming around the multilateral system. Second, scale what already works programmatically. SIDS are leaders in innovation, but the thing that they lack is capacity and capital, so we should be investing in integrated systems for energy, transport, water, digital connectivity, rather than isolated projects. And people say this repeatedly on panels like this, so we just need to find the right financing mechanisms to make that happen. Third, think about strengthening implementation partnerships further by investing in institutions that can increase capacity, technical capacity especially, and knowledge sharing, using the ABASS midterm review to identify bottlenecks, share successful island solutions, of which again, as we talk about in our report, there are many, and renew political momentum. Thank you.

And thank you so very much. Mr. Wallace, We'll hear from you.

Thank you, Madam Ambassador, and good morning, colleagues. Before I get into my answer to the questions you asked, allow me to paint a picture because this is important. 2 weeks ago, the Secretary-General warned of an El Niño system threatening the world. On the 1st of June, those of us who have the privilege of calling the Caribbean home, we started monitoring the Atlantic hurricane season. In St. Kitts and Nevis, our own parliament made real the announcement that there is a national drought because of saline intrusion into our national aquifers. Now think about these data points. The Paris Agreement promised $100 billion per year to address these issues. 1.5 was a target that we're supposed to be meeting, but we're— you're saying bolting past. 35% of the SDGs have been implemented. This is the harsh reality we face. Now, the ABAS and the MVI are supposed to plug those gaps. We need to implement and accelerate, but the question is, with what tools? The SDG Indicator Framework tells us where we are. What it doesn't tell us is why we're moving in a particular direction, and critically, what do we do about it? That's the gap that Saint Kitts and Nevis has been working to fill through the Voluntary Vulnerability and Resilience Country Profiles. The VRCP. I want to share some of the things that we've learned, because we're the first pilot, and so this puts us in a unique position. Firstly, the VRCP is not another index. It's a diagnostic tool built as part of the MVI and looks at vulnerability and resilience at 3 levels simultaneously. The macro level, the national economy and government systems. The meso level, the communities, institutions, and the like. And then the micro level, households and individuals. That layered approach matters enormously because in small island states like ours, the picture looks very different depending on where you stand. What Saint Kitts and Nevis pilot showed is this. There's a striking finding. It's what we call double fragility. At the macro level, our institutions are stable, secure. Government systems are functioning. But when you go deeper into the household level, into the communities most exposed to climate and economic shocks, the picture changes vastly. Businesses and households remain highly exposed exposed to climate-related disruptions and external shocks. The national headline could look one way, but the reality for a family who lives along the coast and rely on fish, when that is met against Sahel Gossam, is very different. And so these are some of the findings that we're seeing. The kind of nuance is exactly what ABAS monitoring needs, because if we're only tracking national aggregates we miss— we risk missing the regression that's happening underneath the surface, and we risk directing resources to the wrong level of the system. So I'd invite colleagues to think about this as we consider how to operate, how to implement the ABAS monitoring and evaluation framework. The M&E framework gives us the what, the VRCP gives us the why and the where, and these things must be work together to get us where we need to go. Thank you.

Grateful to you, Mr. Wallace. USG Li, we shall hear from you now.

Well, thank you, Madam Moderator. The question is quite complicated and big, so let me say the stubborn barriers, these faces are well They persist because too many well-intentioned investments hit the same structural wall. For instance, external shocks— a single cyclone or external economic shock can wipe out years of development gains overnight, forcing the governments to urgently divert the scarce resources to disaster recovery or debt service. And then also, the earmarked financing funds are often too short-term and too complicated to access, or strictly tied to the income classification that actually fails to reflect the country's true structural vulnerability. And the implementation bottleneck It's also a barrier. When institutional capacity for program or project implementation is weak, the largest sum of resources are left on the table. So how can we ensure that the proposal of the projects are bankable? So what the international community can do differently, let me say, first, match the finance to the vulnerability. Financing decisions must be based on vulnerability metrics rather than just on income or GDP per capita. This means offering shock-responsive liquidity under a scaled-in debt treatment specifically tailored to the realities of the 6 member states. Second, simplify access to climate and resilient finance. We need to lower down the co-financing thresholds, streamline applications, and support project preparation facilities, so that the CITS members can turn their ideas into bankable projects. The third, invest more on data and delivery capacities. We must fund the national statistical offices, regional centres of excellence, and rapid technical assistance, which will enable the SIDS members to prepare, implement, and monitor the projects or programmes. Fourth, de-risk private investment. We must deploy blended finance using guarantees or first-loss capital to attract more private investment into the critical sectors like renewable energies, sustainable fisheries, and digital services. So all in all, we will need targeted actions focused on high-impact investment, prioritizing initiatives that simultaneously build resilience and expand productive capacities, institutionalize the SIDS voices, ensure SIDS members have a direct seat or direct side in the global financing decisions and utilize the MDI to guide the financing decisions. And look beyond the GDP, adopt operational indicators that actually capture resilience, well-being, and vulnerability. And it also provides multi-year support, shift from short-term project grants to multi-year technical systems. These are areas where SIDS members definitely need it most and where the UN system, including my own department, can offer to facilitate. So let me be clear, Madam Moderator, SIDS are not lagging behind because they are lacking the will or the vision. They are constrained by structural challenges that require smarter, faster and more tailored international response. Thank you.

Very well put, USG Lee. Thank you for sharing those insightful thoughts. Now, let's try to drill down and I would start with a question to Mr. Matthew Bishop, it's commonly known that high debt levels and debt servicing costs, combined with competing budgetary priorities and limited access to concessional finance, are restricting the ability of SIDS to invest in resilience. Where do you see the potential synergies to support SIDS to ameliorate their fiscal constraints? and address their debt profiles? How can we expand, deepen, or reinforce the international partnerships on which this action rests? How can we leverage new resources for sustainable development? Let's have your thoughts. And again, unfortunately, you have 5 minutes.

That's fine. Let me just reframe this question ever so slightly and take a step back and think about why SIDS or many SIDS are so heavily indebted? Why do they have such limited fiscal space? And if we think about it slightly differently, if there were a number of large northern countries that, by virtue of their geographical location, were uniquely exposed to some kind of devastating shock that they knew for certain would come around every 20 years, and which we knew were actually affected by the consumption patterns of SIDS and the environmental degradation that that caused, and when those shocks hit, they cause trillions of dollars in damage each time, hundreds of percent of GDP. I wonder what the reaction of the international community would be. Would we expect those large countries to bear the cost alone? Would we think it fair that they did so on the basis of borrowing costs relative to their GDP that are many multiples of those faced by countries that do not face those risks? Or would we find multilateral mechanisms collectively to try and offset those costs And I think that's really what's at stake in this question. SIDS are not indebted because they are fiscally profligate. By and large, they are indebted because they face exogenous shocks that are no fault of their own that cause inordinately destructive amounts of damage when they come around, and they take many, many years and longer to bounce back from. We've done lots of work at RESI that demonstrates this fairly conclusively, as have plenty of other people over the years. So let me just make a few points. The first one is that I think we need to treat debt as a development challenge, not simply a fiscal one. High debt servicing crowds out investment in resilience, adaptation, and infrastructure. It creates a vicious circle where repeated shocks lead to more borrowing, often again at much, much higher costs than other countries face, and even greater vulnerability. And this occurs on a scale in SIDS that is simply unthinkable elsewhere in relative scale, intensity, or extent. Secondly, we need to reform the international financial architecture to reflect vulnerability. Many people have said this and continue to say it; we've heard it today. Access to concessional finance should be determined, to some degree at least, by structural vulnerability, with tools like the MVI helping to direct finance to countries facing persistent external risks. Thirdly, we need to lower the cost of capital through stronger international partnerships. NDBs, donors, private investors should think about how they can expand guarantees, blended finance, and so on, other risk-sharing mechanisms that can reduce borrowing costs for SIDS rather than simply increasing lending volumes, as important as that is, and those conversations are ongoing. We recognize that. Fourthly, link debt relief to resilience and climate investment. Debt swaps, contingency clauses, disaster clauses, innovative financing mechanisms can free fiscal space while ensuring resources are invested in adaptation. I think the recent ICJ advisory opinion also strengthens the normative case for significantly greater grant-based climate and loss and damage finance, reducing reliance on debt. And finally, move from fragmented initiatives to coordinated global action. Breaking the debt cycle requires strong partnerships between all stakeholders in the system around a common agenda grounded in sustainable debt, affordable finance, and long-term investment in resilience, not just repeated emergency responses. So the goal should not be simply to help ZIDs, to manage debt better, but to redesign the systems that we have so that investing in resilience becomes cheaper than repeatedly paying for disasters. And please, again, feel free to join us at our side event after this session in Conference Room 8, where we'll be discussing some of these issues further. Thank you.

Thank you. No advertising allowed. We're going to be in quite a bit of trouble, and I'm going to be in quite a bit trouble if I don't get us back on track. So, gentlemen, you only have 3 minutes to make your interventions, and 3 quick minutes, so really 2 and a half, but let's see how we go. And the question for Ambassador Vaingatoni: Tonga is presenting its VNR this year in which Tonga speaks about persistent data challenges, high public staff turnover, and the need for strengthening governance and institutional arrangements. What systems are you in Tonga putting in place specifically to address these areas in order to achieve meaningful progress? And can— how can the UN system and the international community better target its support at the country level to assist with addressing these issues?

Well, thank you very much, Madam Moderator. I was planning on delivering this in 5 minutes, but while I'm trying to do it and Maybe 2 or 3 minutes, and we're going to cut short some of the things that I was going to say. With respect to the first question about the system, the first one is about strengthening national planning and implementation architecture. This is reflected in the Niutonga Strategic Development Framework 2035, which is both a strategic vision and an implementation framework that translates priorities into delivery and results. Our approach is supported by an enhanced monitoring, evaluation, learning, action, and reporting framework. Thank you. Which helps governments move beyond reporting progress toward identifying bottlenecks, learning from implementation, and improving delivery over time. We are also expanding our innovative One Process Tool, which harmonizes all planning, budgeting, monitoring, and performance management through a single system across government bodies. The second system is strengthening governance and accountability institutions. Tonga has recently established the Anti-Corruption Commission, whistleblower legislation, and ongoing public financing— financial management reforms. These reforms are intended to strengthen transparency, accountability, and public trust. Third, strengthening national data systems. Fourth, Tonga is pursuing digital transformation as a core government reform. Fifth, Tonga is emphasizing localization and community-led implementation. With regards to the second part of your question, Madam Moderator, how can the UN system and international community better support? First, invest in systems. For small states, investments in public administration, national statistical systems, digital infrastructure, and institutional resilience often deliver the greatest long-term returns. Second, align with national systems. Partners can maximize impact by reducing fragmentation, harmonizing reporting requirements, and using national systems wherever possible. Third, provide predictable multi-year support. Fourth, support South-South NPO learning. SIDS have developed many innovative solutions despite their constraints. Greater exchange among SIDS on digital government, climate finance, disaster resilience, and community-led development can accelerate progress across the entire SIDS community. Thank you, Madam Moderator.

You continue to be on my favorites list. We go very quickly to Mr. Eustace Wallace. Eustace, you're from St. Kitts and Nevis. You have 2 minutes. Go brief.

Thank you, Ambassador. So one of the core frustrations for SIDS is that we often know where SDG progress is slowing or even reversing in certain areas, but we struggle to articulate why. That is what the VRCP is designed to do, to close that gap, or rather, that's the action spot. And so in our pilot, the VRCP helped to surface something that aggregate data had obscured. Social protection systems that are already stretched are being exacerbated, and communities can't absorb the next disruption as well as they should. And so, as the VCRP is further developed, we expect it to function as a real-time investment guide across all levels of society, pointing to which level of the system needs attention at any given moment. For us, we are acting on the early warning, not just the crisis. is not sufficient. Vulnerability is. That is something that we need to drill down on, the MVI, its implementation across all IFIs. Thank you.

Thank you for being so disciplined, my SIDS and CARICOM brother. I now ask USG Lee, looking forward, what is one big success you would like to see SIDS achieve in terms of sustainable development by 2030? And how would that prepare the ground for the post-2030 agenda and then SIDS V? With respect, can we have that in 2 and a half minutes?

Thank you, Madam Moderator. To me, it's very simple. One overarching success for SIDS will be We will see the 6 members successfully building their own economies that are resilient, diversified, and financeable. We will see the 6 members moved from the vicious cycle of repeated recovery to a sustained— to a new era of sustained transformation. This is not just a single goal; it actually requires the 3 simultaneous wins. First, deep resilience against escalating climate and disaster risks. Second, economic diversification well beyond narrow traditional model or sectors. Third, access to predictable vulnerability-sensitive finance. Having said that, we absolutely believe that the Lissabon Foundation, the CCDF, members need to meet the SDG targets by 2030 and to enter the post-2030 era, or even to prepare the next CITES conference, CITES V. To make this vision real by 2030, we believe that the global community must focus on 3 immediate priorities. Number one, vulnerability-sensitive finance. We must utilize the proper vulnerability matrix, or the MVI, to expand the shock response of liquidity and scaled adaptive treatment, thereby freeing up critical physical space for investment. Second, smarter diversification. We need to anchor the new growth in the blue-green and digital economy to create resilient jobs at home and export opportunities. Third, better data and institutions. We cannot successfully implement or track a strategic plan without robust, high-quality data. This is exactly what the UN DESA, or my department in the UN system, can facilitate, as the MDI Secretariat We want to support the operationalization of the MVI as an evidence-based tool to drive fair, accurate financing decisions. We want also to foster the strategic partnerships designed to de-risk the private capital for specific priorities, and we will scale the capacity-building support for data and statistics. So all in all, we'll say SIDS members already possess the vision and the leadership. What they need now is predictable finance that reflects their true vulnerability and not just based on their income. So if we can align all this, we believe this is a big success for all SIDS members and the international community. Thank you, Madam Moderator.

Thank you very much, USD Lee. Vulnerabilities financing, simplify access, lower thresholds, utilize the MVI. At this juncture, I wish to invite the lead discussants to make short 3-minute interventions. I'll invite Ms. Jyotika Sharma to take the floor. Ms. Sharma is Assistant National Secretary and Executive Officer for Workers' Education, Fiji Trades Union Congress.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. I speak on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Regional Civil Society Mechanism and also as a country citizen. And listening to some very enthusiastic discussions this morning, I would like to put forward 3 points for thought and further expansion. Firstly, in the SIDS, sustainable development is about putting food on the table. That's the first priority, and that is through decent jobs, safe homes, quality public services, universal social protection, access to clean and affordable energy sources, and the right to live with dignity. But all this is amid a worsening climate crisis, as well as an economic crisis, almost to the brink of survival for our seeds. So against this backdrop, workers and communities in our islands are carrying the heaviest burden of an unjust, or let me put it in a little bit soft term, tilted development system. We face rising sea levels as our islands go underwater, strong and more cyclones and natural disasters, food and energy insecurity, displacement due to labor migration, work informality and insecurity, and thus the destruction of livelihoods. So I want to put forward the question, how do we integrate the rights-based approach to ensure equitable implementation? And how does relevant financing help? We have heard a lot about the financing gap, which is our lived reality, but what can be done? This is what we must focus on when public resources are diverted to desperate debt servicing, communities lose access to basic services, decline or absence of social protection. How does this help? Financing for SIDS should be equitable, predictable, accessible, grassroots, and most important of all, consistent. I want to also share the point highlighted by the previous speakers in terms of data capacity. Data capacity offsets to capture data, national data, and also the rights of the common citizen. Labor and environmental standards, which are not highly enforced and not captured in the national data, and public services fail to reach those most in need. The solution to rebuild public institutions that are democratic, accountable, and people-centered. In this regard, the question that we must ask is, what should be done differently to ensure inclusivity and accountability to the SEEDS to deliver the SDGs? Is financing in the right places? Is financing enough? And like I mentioned, is it consistent? Data gaps. We all know the reason for the data gaps existing in the SEEDS. It promotes exclusion, and most of the time workers, women, children, and marginalized communities remain invisible in the official stats. And if they remain invisible, their needs are ignored in policies, budgets, and programs. Please round up. And my final point that I want to put to the room this morning: localizing the SDGs in SIDS is equally critical. The SIDS are a planet on its own with differing geographics, Island by island, extreme seasons year in, year out. This means grounding implementation in island realities, indigenous knowledge, community values, and the lived experiences of workers and communities, custom-made solutions and co-designed plans by the SIDS themselves. SIDS plans must not be imposed from the top. So the question I ask today is, How can institutions strengthen rights-based and meaningful partnerships, approaches, and implementation in the last mile of the SDG implementation? We are running a race against time. As CITES, we must refuse a future where workers and communities are pushed into greater precarity and our knowledge, labor, and voices are made invisible. And my last point is, as we heard today, they require genuine and urgent shift Thank you, Ms. Sharma.

Thank you so very much. Yes, we are in a race against time, Ms. Sharma. Thank you for that observation. We too are in a race against time, and so I go quickly to Mr. David Smith, the Director in the Center for Environmental Management at the University of the West Indies and Coordinator for the Institute of Sustainable Development. Mr. Smith, your intervention.

Thank you. You have to press the button. There's a button with a little smiley face, talking face. Pressed the wrong button. Just to remind people, 65 million people live in small island developing states. If we are going to continue to use GDP per capita as the criterion by which we access concessional financing, then we should also bear in mind the per capita damage imposed by things such as sudden onset cyclones. To give you an example, ECLAC indicated in 2004 that the damage caused by Hurricane Ivan per capita in the people of the Cayman Islands was $75,000 per capita. That's considerably more than their per capita GDP. We should bear in mind that sudden onset cyclones can impose anywhere between 400% and 800% of the GDP of a nation in a single day. We should also, however, remember that there are slow onset hazards such as drought, heat, and other aspects which have profound impacts on human health, including the health of young children and older persons. Next week Thursday, we will hear more as The Lancet tells us about the Small Island Developing States report on how health is affected by climate. But while we may know many of these things, we do need to move from a system where we simply use GDP as the measure to one where we use a measure that has not been said by Nobel Prize-winning economists that it does not tell us anything about human well-being. So we need to use the MVI. We need to match it with something more meaningful. Development must be made resilient because it costs less to build the resilience before the event takes place. And so the points that have been made repeatedly about access to programmatic finance that can build resilience is well taken. The need as well for technical and financial cooperation based on things like the MVI, and supporting programs that take place over several years to build resilience, not just structural and physical resilience of infrastructure, but also to build resilient people, to make sure that we touch on that need to build human capital, which, as the World Bank told us back in 2018, is the single most important factor of our wealth. All this has to be done. The best way to do this is to take into account, I think, everything that the colleagues have said prior to this. But to remember as well, it's very, very easy if you're living in a small island developing state for everything you know to disappear in a single night. And then after that, you're left wondering, how do we rebuild? Thank you.

Thank you so very much. Wonderful presentations that have laid a foundation on which we will now build. Colleagues, I want to thank you for those contributions. We're really appreciative of the presentations, and I want now to cede the floor to the Vice President so that we can proceed with the interactive discussion and hear from all of you. Thank you so very much. Mr. Vice President, over to you.

I thank the moderator, Ambassador Frederick, Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, expertly and humanely conducting the panel. We will now proceed to the interactive discussion. Delegations wishing to intervene are invited to request the floor by pressing the microphone button. I would like to remind that the time limit for intervention from the floor— we keep it 3 minutes— 3 minutes. That might be adjusted In case of the need, I apologize, but in case speakers exceed the time limit, the mic will be automatically deactivated. To ensure proper interpretation, delegations are asked to speak at a normal pace and provide a written copy of the statement by the email to e-statement@un.org in advance. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Finland, Vice Minister of Environment. You have the floor, Vice Minister.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, few countries experience the severe impact of climate change as as small island developing states. They are confronted with the existential threat from rising sea level and increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events. The successful implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for CIDS is the key to enabling the CIDS to respond to future shocks and build stronger, more resilient societies. Finland is a long-term supporter of CIDS. We have collaborated with the CIDS in improving the weather, climate, and early warning services, for example. Disaster risk prevention is also an important element in Finland's international development cooperation. We finance actions which support the Early Warnings for All initiative of the UN Secretary-General. Finland also seeks to find solutions to development challenges and strengthening resilience of the least developed countries, including some SIDS countries. Through the LDC Future Forum co-organised with UN partners. This is a decisive decade. Finland calls for global cooperation, stronger partnerships, and new innovations to ensure that the cities are not only resilient but able to thrive. By working together, we can deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda. Achieving this requires advancing gender equality, which is both a prerequisite for achieving inclusive and sustainable development. Empowering women and girls is also critical in strengthening the resilience of communities and changing their ability to respond to the future shocks and creating lasting and sustainable change in societies. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the European Union, to be followed by India and Qatar.

Thank you, Chair. Mr. Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states. The European Union and its member states are a reliable and long-term partner for CITES, combining political engagement and sustainable investments. Team Europe support remains substantial, around €7.4 billion in bilateral ODA to SEEDS between 2021 and 2024. Mr. Chair, Global Gateway is the EU's main investment offer to SEEDS. Global Gateway supports sustainable investments that help SEEDS improve connectivity, diversify economies, strengthen resilience, mobilize private investment, and develop sustainable infrastructure in line with national priorities. Priorities. It moves beyond the traditional donor-recipient model towards mutually beneficial partnerships based on ownership, transparency, high standards, local value addition, and long-term impact. For instance, Global Gateway has now mobilized around €380 million in Cabo Verde. This includes support for electricity generation, grid and storage systems, digital connectivity including submarine cable infrastructure, sustainable port modernization, and wind power expansion with battery storage. Other examples: the Green Blue Alliance for the Pacific supports climate action, resilience, and the sustainable use of natural capital, including through sustainable agri-food systems, ecotourism, e-business, digital solutions, and circular economy approaches. It also supports renewable energy, including the hydropower scheme in Fiji, expected to almost double renewable electricity production per year. In the Caribbean, the EU is also working with partners to address sargassum as both an environmental challenge and an economic opportunity. In addition, since 2025, we fund on-demand technical assistance through the International Union for Conservation of Nature to support the seats to ratify and implement the UN Agreement on the Conservation of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdictions. Our shared priority should be clear: to ensure that SIDS have the institutions, capacities, partnerships, data, and finance needed to implement ABAS effectively and accelerate delivery of SDGs. I thank you.

I thank distinguished representative of the European Union. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of India, to be followed by Qatar and Business and Industry these 3 major groups.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Small Island Developing States continue to face unique vulnerabilities that constrain sustainable development despite their strong commitment to the 2030 Agenda. India attaches great importance to its partnerships with SIDS across the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean regions. Through demand-driven development cooperation, India has supported renewable energy, digital public infrastructure, disaster resilience, healthcare, capacity building, and climate adaptation in SIDS, including through the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. The successful implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS requires adequate and predictable means of implementation. Financing challenges cannot be addressed by shifting additional burdens onto developing countries. There is a need for strengthened international support, including concessional finance, technology transfer, capacity building, and enhanced access to climate and development financing for SIDS. Our collective efforts should strengthen national institutions, implementation capacities, resilient infrastructure, and practical partnerships that enable SIDS to pursue nationally determined development pathways so that no one is left behind. I thank you.

I thank India and give the floor to the distinguished representative of Qatar, to be followed by the Business and Industry Major Group and Portugal.

Mr. Chair, Qatar welcomed the adoption by the GA and the adoption of ABAS. And we stress that the implementation of ABAS requires enhancing international cooperation and civil commitments in relation to finance, concessional financing, and technology transfer while taking into consideration the specific situation in SIDS. Qatar stresses that effective partnerships are essential for achieving sustainable development. Therefore, we cooperate with the UN to implement projects in food security, health, education, and adaptation to climate change and enhance resilience. We support innovative solutions through investments in labs to accelerate the development impact. Qatar Development Fund supports the most vulnerable groups through partnerships with the UN, in addition to bilateral support to SIDS by financing development and humanitarian projects that enhance their capacities to address the different challenges. Qatar reiterates its commitment to support the implementation of ABAS and engaging with all partners to translate its goals into concrete impact to ensure a more prosperous future for SIDS. Thank you.

I thank Qatar and give the floor to the representative of Business and Industry Major Group, to be followed by Portugal and Thailand.

Thank you, Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, I speak on behalf of the Business and Industry Major Group and IOE, representing the Caribbean Employers Confederation and the Barbados Employers Confederation, private sector voice of small island developing states. For SIDS, the MSME is the primary employer in that reality, not a side actor. Any framework that doesn't speak to MSMEs won't move the 2030 or the ABAS agenda for SIDS. 4 points briefly. Financing must reach the enterprise level. Concessional and climate funds too often stop at the national level and never reach the businesses that employ our people. The skills mismatch in SIDS labor markets is structural, and it is already costing us jobs. In Barbados, the 2025 National MSME Survey found labor shortages driven by skills mismatches, immigration, and wage competition are now the single biggest hiring constraint employers report. And this is not an undereducated workforce. Nearly 2/3 of owners hold technical or vocational qualifications. The gap is between what training systems produce and what a digitalized— digital digitalizing economy demands. Closing it needs deliberate retooling of technical education, not simply broader digital access. 3, decent work and productivity must move together. These are not competing agendas. Employers are ready to invest in our people, but we need labor, trade, and business regulation that's predictable and proportionate to our scale. 4, climate resilience is a labor issue, and so is the concentration risk of economies still overdependent on single sectors such as tourism. Close to 1 in 5 Barbadian MSMEs report a climate disruption in the past 5 years. Each one a direct hit to jobs. SIDS needs financing that builds business continuity and rewards diversification, not just reconstruction. As employers, we continue to ask for genuine dialogue and engagement to help build the table we all wish to eat at, not just to find a seat at a table that wasn't built for us. We continue to ask for partnerships and engage in partnerships that build solutions.

I thank Business and Industry Major Group. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Portugal, to be followed by Thailand and the United Kingdom.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues. Portugal has a long-standing partnership with SIDS. We remain fully committed to the implementation of ABAS. Allow me to make 3 brief points in this regard. First, ABAS implementation must be practical, country-owned, and focused on resilience. Portugal has allocated €66 million in bilateral ODA to SIDS in 2025, supporting them in areas such as ocean governance, sustainable blue economy, education, climate resilience, renewable energy, and stronger statistical systems. Second, partnerships must deliver impact. As co-chair of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS, together with Belize, Portugal is working to ensure that the committee remains a practical platform to connect partners, showcase effective initiatives, and help scale solutions responding to SIDS priorities. Third, financing must better reflect structural vulnerabilities. Portugal co-facilitated with Antigua and Barbuda the adoption of the UN MPI and more recently co-organized a retreat with Antigua and Barbuda, UNHRLS, and UNDESA on its operationalization, the results of which are online available for everyone. The priority is now implementation: stronger partnerships, better data, and fairer access to development finance. You can count on Portugal to continue working with and all partners to ensure that Abbas delivers concrete progress for people, resilience, and sustainable development. And I thank you in what in all likelihood will have been my last intervention at the United Nations. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Portugal and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Thailand, to be followed by the United Kingdom.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thailand is fully committed to stay the course of being a relentless champion of South-South cooperation. We understand the challenge that, that states continue to face, the impact of climate change, biodiversity loss, transboundary pollution, disaster, health, social challenges, and economic vulnerability. Current geopolitical conflict in Paraguay region weakens its ability to withstand external shocks, especially in securing reliable and affordable sustainable energy and development financings. Thailand offers some remedy from our homegrown development approach that will address these challenges in practical way. The sufficiency economy philosophy encompasses the principle of moderation, reasonableness, and prudence, or building up one's immunity against future impact and unforeseen external disruptions. Through Thailand International Cooperation Agency, we work with partners to promote core area of human security, including food, health, job, energy, and environment. Thailand reaffirms our commitment to partner with SIDS to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to realize the SDGs. Thank you.

I thank Thailand and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom be followed by Holisi and Palau on behalf of AUSISI.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President. The United Kingdom stands with Small Island Developing States in nationally led efforts towards sustainable development and on the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda. External shocks, global challenges, and climate change are creating a perfect storm The Secretary-General spoke passionately a few weeks ago at the London Climate Action Week on the implications and the need for action on the climate crisis. The UK's close cooperation with SIDS reflects this challenging context and the central importance of building resilience. Our approach: first, partnering with SIDS on climate adaptation, governance, and our shared values. Second, working with SIDS to reform the international financial system. Third, partnering with SIDS to grow resilient economies whilst protecting nature and the ocean, deploying a range of public and private investment and mobilizing private capital through private sector engagement. SIDS' own national policies and development strategies remain at the core. We welcome the progress outlined in the voluntary national reviews presented by SIDS at the HLPR. The UK will support these national efforts presented by SIDS and reflect the new context by making shifts in our development policy. We outlined at the Global Partnerships Conference in London earlier this year that we are moving from donor to investor, from grants to expertise, putting partnership first and focus on the local needs and put that at the center of all we do. Thank you.

I thank Ambassador King and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Holy See, to be followed by Palau and OHRLLS.

Mr. Vice President, my delegation welcomes this debate on strategies for SDG success in Small Island Developing States. Which are recognized as a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique vulnerabilities. ABASS provides an important framework for addressing the interconnected economic, social, and environmental challenges that these countries face. However, accelerating progress on the SDGs in SEEDS requires more than a strong framework. Development must must remain firmly centered on the God-given dignity of the human person. It is important to underscore that conventional economic indicators do not fully capture the realities faced by SEEDS. These indicators do not adequately reflect SEEDS' unique and often hidden vulnerabilities. This is of particular importance when it comes to their accessing to the means of implementation required to achieve the SDGs. In Magnificat Humanitas Populi, Pope Leo XIV calls on the international community to move beyond development metrics tied to the GDP, which almost systematically neglect aspects essential to the overall well-being of people and the environment. Instead, it is necessary to implement a comprehensive and timely assessment on how legislative and regulatory decisions impact the dignity of work, shared prosperity, inequality reduction, and environmental protection. Seeds whose exposure to climate-related disaster, environmental degradation, and external economic shocks repeatedly unmask deep structural vulnerabilities that GDP metrics fail to capture. My delegation therefore takes note of the work of the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP and looks forward to the intergovernmental process on measures of progress on sustainable development that complement or go beyond GDP. Mr. President, the Holy See recognizes that the path to resilient and lasting prosperity for seeds within the 2030 Agenda and beyond lies in the international community's willingness to adopt a genuinely integral human development rather than simply economic statistics. Thank you, Mr. President.

I thank Ollisi and give the floor to the distinguished Permanent Representative of Palau on behalf of AOSIS.

Mr. President, I have the honor to deliver the following statement on behalf of the Alliance Small Island States. Today's discussion is the first assessment of the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, ABAS, under its dedicated monitoring and evaluation framework. And with that, it establishes an important baseline for measuring progress over the coming decade. The report sends a clear message: across all regions, countries are integrating ABAS into national development strategies and existing planning frameworks, demonstrating strong national ownership. But the report also confirms that implementation continues to be constrained by limited institutional capacity, weak statistical systems, persistent financing gaps, and an international financial architecture that remains ill-suited to the realities of SIDS. These are not challenges that SIDS can overcome alone. If we're serious about delivering the Antigua and Barbuda agenda, we must move beyond measuring implementation to enabling implementation. The report demonstrates that stronger public institutions, modern statistical systems, improved whole-of-government coordination, and sustained investments in national capacity are fundamental to effective implementation. Second, partnerships must evolve. We need coordinated, predictable, country-driven partnerships that reinforce national priorities, reduce transaction costs, and deliver technical expertise where it's needed most. Third, implementation requires financing that matches ambition. The commitments made in Sevilla for strengthening access to concessional finance, operationalizing SID-specific initiatives, improving debt sustainability, and scaling up investment in resilience must now be translated into concrete support for implementation on the ground. Mr. President, the first report against the M&E Framework tells us where we stand. The next report should tell us what steps forward we've made. By 2029, the AVAS midterm review, we expect to see measurable progress in implementing the commitments we all made in Antigua and Barbuda. This juncture is the first test of whether the international community can deliver on its promise to ensure SIDS are not left behind. AOSIS remains committed to working with all partners to fulfill this promise. I thank you.

Thank you, Ambassador Cede. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed, Landlocked Developing, and Small Island Developing States, to be followed by Barbados and Ireland.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President. OHRLLS has listened with great interest to the discussion here today and wishes to share, in the context of our support to SIDS, some of the takeaways from our VNR lab yesterday on how to practically integrate the ABAS M&E framework into the VNRs, which we believe are highly relevant to advancing implementation. We learned that the VNRs serve as an important vehicle to localize and report on ABAS in an integrated way and ensure SIDs are not burdened with many parallel reporting processes. Moving forward, it will be important to ensure that the M&E framework serves as a living tool through smarter reporting and practical inputs from colleagues, including through VNR reporting experience. From OHRLLS, we shared on the recent capacity-building efforts supporting implementation of the ABAS Framework, as well as the SIDS National Focal Points Toolkit for mainstreaming and implementation, for which we shared a draft annex on integrating the ABAS M&E Framework into the VNRs. VNR-presenting SIDS highlighted the importance of understanding the nuanced and unique circumstances of SIDS, as well as the need for measures to better capture structural vulnerabilities and resilience like the MVI. They also highlighted the need to strengthen statistical capacity capacities and to leverage data for evidence-based decision-making and resource mobilization. Challenges also persist with intergovernmental coordination, which necessitates an integrated approach across reporting for global and regional agendas, as well as national development plans, to reduce duplication and fragmentation. We also recognize the need for an inclusive approach to implementation, underscoring the critical role for youth, women, and girls. Mr. Vice President, it is clear that we need stronger public awareness and strategic communications on the ABAS, as well as to promote the important role of partnerships, as was said earlier, including with the private sector in advancing the SDGs. The SIDS Global Business Network, including our forum to be held in Maldives in August, offers a practical platform to advance these partnerships. OHRLS looks forward to carrying these insights forward through further shaping the ABAS implementation toolkit, strengthening the SIDS NFP network, as well as our further activities in support of SIDS. Thank you.

I thank the Office of the High Representative and now give the floor to the distinguished Permanent Representative of Barbados.

Panel is a sign of just how valuable this space is. I also wanted to take this opportunity to express my full endorsement of the statements made by a number of colleagues, in particular the chair of the AOSIS group, the distinguished permanent representative of Palau. With your permission, Mr. Vice President, 2 broad points. First, as has been said before, but I think it's worth underlining, The geopolitical circumstances that we face today are quite different from those that surrounded the creation of ABAS, and even more different from those that created— that surrounded the creation of the Barbados Programme of Action more than 2 decades ago. So we have to bear this in mind as we implement ABAS, and I think one of the most striking differences that we are all feeling today, right now, even in this very room, are the consequences of the global energy crisis. Secondly, and others have mentioned this already, is the finance issue. We've all agreed, I think, that the international financial architecture is, let's say, ill-adapted to the real needs of developing countries in general and of small island developing states in particular. We need a major root-and-branch reform of the international financial architecture to address these imbalances. We also need, I think, to innovate relentlessly in the financial area. We have to get the bigger picture correct, but we also must relentlessly go after modifications, improvements, and innovations of the many tools that programs like ABAS, like the Compromiso de Sevilla, and others have pointed us to. And I'd just like to highlight a few of these areas where we have seen some promising developments. We've recently seen the signing of a compact between the CVF V20 group of vulnerable countries with a group of development finance institutions entitled vulnerability to viability. We are seeing new solutions appearing in the area of insurance. We are seeing new solutions being worked on in the area of credit guarantees and in the area of debt and vulnerability. So we must plough on relentlessly in this area of financial innovation. I thank you, Mr. President.

I thank Ambassador Jackman for this statement and nice words and give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ireland, to be followed by Malta and LGBTI stakeholder group.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President, distinguished speakers, colleagues. Ireland aligns itself with the statement of the European Union and has the following to add in a national capacity. The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS set a clear trajectory towards more sustainable, resilient development. But the need for us to take action on implementation has never been more urgent, as very clearly outlined by AOSIS and other speakers here today. For our part, Ireland is midway through implementation of the Irish Government's 2nd dedicated strategy for partnership with SIDS, which was developed through consultation with SIDS representatives and focuses on deepening our partnerships, supporting climate and oceans, building SIDS capacity, and advocating for SIDS priorities. Following a midterm review of the strategy, we are working to further align efforts with ABAS implementation. This includes a scaling up of Ireland's financial support to SIDS and the establishment of new partnerships across the SIDS regions. Some practical examples: in the Caribbean, we've recently begun working with CDEMA on disaster risk management. In the Pacific, we have pledged €3 million to the Pacific Resilience Facility, a regional priority ahead of pre-COP31. Our enhanced work with UNDESA on modernizing data systems and supporting National Statistical Office capacity building is yielding positive progress in 3 pilot countries— Jamaica, Comoros, and Fiji. We are pleased to work with ODIHR on building knowledge and amplifying the SIDS special case. Together with the UK, we have supported the inaugural State of SIDS report, which will be launched later today, and which shows how the SIDS special case is defined not just by vulnerability, but by value. Ireland is supporting a dedicated RESI policy brief on SIDS graduation from eligibility for ODA, which will be published later this month. In addition, we are glad to support participation of SIDS and MSME representatives at the upcoming SIDS Global Business Network in Maldives. Finally, Ireland's programming is complemented by our efforts to amplify SIDS advocacy at the UN, at the OECD, and at the European Union level, including during our current EU presidency. Thank you very much.

I thank Ireland and give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malta, to be followed by the LGBTI stakeholder group and Jamaica.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Malta aligns itself with the EU statement, and the following are our remarks in our national capacity. For Malta, partnership with is a standing pillar of our foreign policy, from our Island for Islands initiative to our continuing work at the UN on climate and sea level rise. We are here as a committed partner to this agenda. 2 concrete points. First, water. SDG 6 comes under review this year. Malta speaks from experience. We are among the most water-scarce scarce countries in the world. In the final stretch to 2030, partnerships and concrete action are key. It is also why Malta, Antigua and Barbuda, Fiji, and UN OHRLS are convening a side event on water management in SIDS on 16 July at 1:15 PM, and I warmly welcome you all for this event. Second, measuring what matters. Malta's supports the operationalization of the MVI. What we choose to measure decides who qualifies for support, and as we heard this morning, income per capita does not fully reflect the structural vulnerabilities that SIDS face. Using the MVI has the potential to ensure truly inclusive sustainable development. Under an OACPS mandate and building on the MVI, Malta and the OACPS have developed a climate vulnerability and resilience index complementary to the MDI, but capturing both climate vulnerabilities and resilience priorities and actions. Equitable climate finance depends on recognizing this, and this is why Malta supports the wider reform of the international financial architecture so that these measures actually change who can access access concessional finance and on what terms. On Abbas, this is SID's agenda and achievement. We recognize its new monitoring framework is an act of accountability, and the data gaps it reveals are a call for targeted investment. Partners have a role there, and Malta is one, one you can count on. And I would like now to give the floor to our UNU delegate for brief remarks.

As Malta's UN Youth Delegate, I want to focus on one thing: education. SDG 4 is the cornerstone of resilience, and it is central to delivering ABaAS. This is why Malta has opened its doors to students from SIDS through our dedicated SIDS Scholarship Program, recognized with a UN-SIDS Partnership Award. Every scholarship strengthens not just one person, but the community and and country they return to. That is how we build the human capacity sustainable development depends on. I thank you.

I thank Malta and give the floor to the representative of the LGBTI stakeholder group, to be followed by Jamaica and Saudi Arabia.

Thank you, Mr. President. My name is Shantae Porteous, and I represent the LGBTI+ stakeholder group. As we strategize for success in Small Island Developing States, I would like to stress the importance of the adequate assessment of the challenges. We know that what does not get measured does not get addressed, and we urge States to collect SOGISC disaggregated data. For LGBTI+ citizens, structural exclusion is a matter of life and death. For States, many States share success metrics of lower poverty, lower debt, and lower unemployment. employment, but there is silence on LGBTI+ homelessness, reduced access to water and sanitation, invisibility in renewable energy plans, discriminatory hiring practices, and the inability to safely access a shelter or public bathroom without facing violence or harassment. This is more than a data gap. It is a failure of inclusion, consideration, and responsibility. Unhoused LGBTI+ stakeholders are not involved in WASH, or energy consultations, which rely on housing indices but ignore informal settlements on land and in public waterways. VNR successes are tested by climate change and intensifying weather events. Quality data must inform climate financing mechanisms that are equitably distributed to meet the needs of island states in accordance with heightened disaster risk, debt reduction, and capacity. True resilience requires investing in those who are most vulnerable and most excluded. LGBTI+ people, Indigenous peoples, racially minoritized groups, and persons with disabilities must be considered as critical stakeholders who identify gaps within SDG plans. In closing, leaving no one behind means leaving no one invisible. Thank you.

I, I think representative of LGBTI stakeholders the group and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Jamaica, to be followed by Saudi Arabia and France.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Excellencies, through Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan, Jamaica has an established framework for ABAS implementation as the priorities of climate resilience, blue economy development, renewable energy transition, and human capital investment are embedded within our national strategies For the ABAs to succeed, closing these gaps demands targeted capacity building, deeper collaboration with institutional— international development partners, and greater investment in national data ecosystems across all SIDS. As a SIDS, we confront the harsh reality that our development trajectory is perpetually interrupted by climate-related shocks. Yet, our response has not been merely to recover, but to rebuild resilient systems. Grounded in evidence, our blue economy agenda is a centerpiece of that approach, guided by Jamaica's own recommendations for a Blue Economy Roadmap and its companion Financing Options for a Blue Economy. Both have shaped how we sequence and finance our ocean priorities. Jamaica's Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation, the strengthening of our sustainable fisheries frameworks and our national ocean and coastal zone management architecture are turning our surrounding seas into engines of sustainable growth. Our energy and Jamaican— Jamaica's Integrated Resource Plan charts a clear pathway to reducing our heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels, supported by green bond instruments mobilizing private capital for the transition. And in climate finance negotiations. Through the Caribbean Development Bank, the IMF-RSF, and emerging debt-for-climate instruments, the fiscal space that high-debt Caribbean SIDS urgently require is being created. The ABAS gives us the roadmap. Our Long-Term National Development Plan gives us the vehicle. Jamaica stands ready, and we call on our partners to match that commitment with transformative and coordinated action. Thank you.

I thank Jamaica and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia, to be followed by France and Belize.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. A good morning to you all. We're pleased to be participating in this important meeting to spotlight the importance of assisting SIDS with a view to challenges in development and with energy and security and their capacity to promote social and economic growth. We are emphasizing the SDGs for 2030. And the Saudi Development Fund is providing assistance to development programs in developing states, including in SIDS, through financing high-quality programs in areas such as sanitation, water, energy, transport, and essential infrastructure. Our fund has provided over $3 billion to finance programs And these are in 22 SIDS. What's more, we reached an agreement with Palau. This was to support the financial sector. That is the first cooperation of the Fund with Palau. We're supporting not only a program, but we're also fueling the local economy. By facilitating the work of local companies to spur sustainable growth with an impact even beyond the funds of this program. The work of our fund is also emphasizing SDG 6 and 7 on clean, affordable energy and electricity. In addition to supporting SDG 9 on infrastructure, which underpins economic growth, and we're promoting local services too, and SDG 11 on sustainable communities, we're investing in agile infrastructure that's well adapted to the climate, in particular in SIDS. Which are most vulnerable to environmental issues. As for SDG 17, Partnerships, that's vital for accelerating the implementation of the SDGs by promoting cooperation and exchanges and exchanges of expertise to fuel more local growth. By way of conclusion, we are committed to continuing international efforts to allow for SIDS to achieve sustainable development and build a future more prosperous and sustainable for everyone. Thank you.

I thank Saudi Arabia. I give the floor to the representative of France.

I thank Saudi Arabia for this statement. Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the inspiring words shared in this session. There's a strong link that unites France and small island development states that's rooted in our common commitment to multilateralism and to the preservation of global public goods. France is— France hails the strong commitment of these states in the UN and at the international stage. This reflects their situation in the forefront facing challenges for which they're the last responsible, specifically climate change. This guides our international work on the climate so as to limit— so as to step up the aid to the most vulnerable. We're all the more aware of the vulnerability of these SIDS because our compatriots in our overseas territory are facing similar problems. France was sure to include these concerns during the 3rd Conference of the United Nations on the Oceans by organizing the first global forum in this regard. In Seville, during the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, the debate showed the need to take into account the specific challenges of SIDS. In terms of the economy, environment, mobilization of finances, trade, and debt, France is focusing its efforts where the needs are highest and most urgent: the LDCs, countries that are vulnerable to the climate or that are exposed to economic or financial vulnerabilities, and finally, conflict-affected countries. This will inform our approach. France thus reiterated its commitment to a better awareness of the vulnerability, the multidimensional vulnerability, by backing the roadmap of the Pact for People's Prosperity and the Planet. To define our methodology on vulnerable states that take priority, we've used inter alia the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index. We're working to promote the same approach at the international level, and in this regard, we're working in particular in the context of France's presidency of the G7. Je vous remercie.

Thank you. I now give the floor to the distinguished permanent representative of Belize, to be followed by a major group for children and youth.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, and thank you for the very enriching discussion from the panel. I will jump very quickly to react to that panel discussion and focus specifically on the finance issue that my colleague Ambassador from Barbados already addressed. SIDS need finance that's additional, predictable, sustainable, and affordable. We've heard a lot about the structural challenges that SIDS face. The structural challenges are also global. You could look at it at the fund level, at the system level, and we've heard some references to what could be done to address those, and I think it needs to be reemphasized that indeed there are very simple responses that need to be taken on board. At the fund level, we know that there is a need to improve the more simplified application processes. We need to be able to address direct access modalities. We need to be able to integrate SIDS' indigenous systems into, into the funding cycle and consideration. We need to be able to ensure that there are minimum allocation floors that are being implemented in relation to SIDS, as well as to LDCs. And we need to address the risk appetite in in the funds. At the systemic level, we've had birthed in the Caribbean the Bridgetown Initiative that deals with the issue of capital adequacy, which also needs to continue to be addressed significantly. I think it's also important to recognize that there are some tools that are already being trialed within SIDS, including in respect of climate-resilient debt clauses that needs to continue to be integrated and standardized. We also need to address issues around how to treat with that issue of the risk. So this is where blended instruments and guaranteed-backed instruments become very important, because quite frankly, the figures on FDI for SIDS are worrying. SIDS receive very marginal foreign direct investment, in fact, 0.6% of global total. We also need to address the governance asymmetry. SIDS hold something like 19% of World Bank and IMF membership, but only 2.5% of voting rights. So we must have a voice in the rules commensurate with our exposure to the risk those rules are meant to manage. And let me jump quickly to the MVI. This is an important tool. It is a system coherence tool that we need to ensure is integrated across the board, because we need to ensure that vulnerability is legible in finance decision-making. I thank you very much.

I thank Ambassador Goye-Felsen and now give the floor to the representative of the Major Group for Children and Youth, to be followed by Suriname and Tanzania.

Honorable Chair Yahweh, I am Miracle Lang from the Pacific Youth Council representing the Major Group for Children and Youth. I represent children, youth, persons with disabilities Indigenous and marginalized groups whose futures are inseparable from the health of our ocean. For us, the ocean is not a geopolitical or commercial platform. Where others see money, opportunity, and resources, we see culture, inheritance, and responsibility. The ocean is our life, identity, and our future. The ocean is a memory, and we remember the tragic past. when decisions were made for us without us, and we are concerned about history repeating itself while we continue to endure the lingering consequences. We urge world leaders to recognize nuclear justice as a critical intersectional issue. The nuclear legacy is not a rightful inheritance. It is a profound structural burden that explicitly links the historical impacts of colonial rule with modern climate change vulnerabilities and health impacts of our people. We cannot achieve true resilience while our youth inherit compounded environmental degradation without recourse. SIDS governments must recognize young people not just as beneficiaries, but as the drivers of sustainable development. Pacific youth have already proven their transformative leadership on the global stage, driving the historic movement that successfully brought climate change to the International Court of Justice, climate change first reached the International Court of Justice because of Pacific youth. Therefore, we call for institutional formalization and direct resourcing of youth-led initiatives across all SIDs, ensuring that young people are heard and supported to lead. Youth inclusion might— must not be an afterthought, and youth engagement must not be a side event. Youth must be in the driver's seat. If not us, then who? If not now, then when? I thank you.

I thank Major Group for Children and Youth and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Suriname, to be followed by Tanzania and Spain.

Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates, Suriname aligns itself with the statement of the OASIS, CARICOM, and the wider SIDS family. We share common vulnerabilities of SIDS: a low-lying coast, a lack of economic diversity, and high exposure to climate and economic shocks. This year marks the start of reporting under the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. For Suriname, this follows our 2025 PNR, which confirmed that stronger national data systems are indispensable for evidence-based policymaking and effective SDG implementation. Experience suggests this will remain one of the key challenges under the ABAS reporting. We value our participation in ECLAC's Development Account 16 program to strengthen strategic planning, cost-benefit analysis, and statistical capacity. We also welcome the establishment of the SIDS Center of Excellence in Antigua and Barbuda as a platform for data, knowledge sharing, and regional cooperation. Suriname also welcomes the adoption of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index. Its real value, however, will only be realized when this is considered by international financial institutions and incorporated into their financing decisions. Vulnerability and not income alone should determine access to concessional finance. We therefore call on development partners and IFIs to simplify and accelerate access to climate and development finance. Too many SIDS remain eligible for support but face complex procedures that delay reinvestments in renewable energy, water security, climate resilience, and infrastructure. Let ABAS remain a living instrument driven by our priorities, supported by evidence, and matched with genuine international solidarity. I thank you.

I thank Suriname and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Republic of Tanzania, to be followed by Spain and FAO.

Thank you, Chair. As a union of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, we recognize the unique vulnerabilities and opportunities of island communities. Zanzibar shares many SIDS characteristics requiring close attention to resilient infrastructure and sustainable livelihood. We reaffirm our commitment to Agenda 2030, SEEDS Agenda, and the need to accelerate SDG implementation. We present 5 priorities under our Vision 2050. First, climate resilience, which is focusing on strengthening coastal protection, climate-resilient infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and community-based adaptation. Second, the blue economy. Promoting sustainable fisheries, marine conservation, ecotourism, and responsible ocean-based growth. Third, human capital development and inclusion, especially investment in inclusive education, health, and skills for inclusive development. Fourth, digital transformation, where we focus on expanding digital infrastructure for improved service delivery. Fifth, partnership and finance. We call for stronger international cooperation, increased concessional and climate finance. Chair, while we demonstrate the value of local action, strong institutions, and community engagement, the scale of the challenges demands stronger global solidarity. As we near 2030, Tanzania remains committed to accelerating SDG delivery, ensuring that no one is left behind. I submit.

I thank the United Republic of Tanzania and give the floor to the distinguished representative of Spain, to be followed by FAO and IAEA.

Thank you, Chair. Spain's commitment with Small Island Developing States is grounded in our participation in the 4th Conference on SIDS held in St. John's and our endorsement of the Abbas Agenda as a framework for this decade. This agenda correctly identifies pathways that we must use to articulate our collective efforts— economic resilience, social welfare, and environmental Sustainability. Spain fully shares these objectives and we support their implementation. We would like to highlight the SID's constructive contributions to FFD4 held in Seville and that led to adopting the Seville Commitment. The commitments achieved in these fora are complementary and mutually reinforcing. The The consistency between the results of Antigua and Barbuda and Seville is an asset that we must make the most of now that we are entering the implementation phase of the commitments that we agreed upon. Spain considers that mobilizing resources is a necessary condition so that SIDS may close their development gaps and move forward with the SDGs. It requires acting on several fronts simultaneously: strengthening internal collections, attracting private investment, and ensuring that the international financial architecture responds to the specific needs of these countries. When it comes to debt, during the Seville negotiations, Spain championed the systematic incorporation of clauses on the automatic suspension of payments given acts of such as natural disasters, health crises, and food emergencies. We also supported more ambitious commitments when it comes to rechanneling special drawing rights. Both measures are specific instruments to alleviate the financial pressure on SIDS in moments of greatest vulnerability. When it comes to development metrics, Spain has actively worked so that the multidimensional vulnerability Vulnerability Index gains recognition in the OECD as well as the United Nations. GDP on its own does not reflect the real situation in these countries. It does not take into account their vulnerability to climate shocks, connectivity limits, external dependency, or debt burdens. Moving towards more holistic metrics is indispensable so that our international cooperation policies are more relevant and effective. Spain and the EU are firmly committed to CIDS. We urge these countries to continue moving forward in a coordinated fashion in their regional organizations and in multilateral organizations. They know that they can count on our support to effectively implement the Abbas Agenda. I thank you.

I thank Spain and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States, or ABUS, represents an ambitious set of commitments to address the multiple challenges faced by Small Island Developing States, from among others, more frequent and intense extreme weather events and economic shocks that affect food security and nutrition. Its successful implementation demands coordinated efforts led by Small Island Developing where each entity brings their best offer. FAO's work in SIDS is anchored in Strategic Framework 2022-2031, aligned with the ABAS, and is structured around 7 pillars. Underpinning FAO's efforts in Small Island Developing States is our evidence-based approach coupled with multidisciplinary expertise embedded in our strategic vision and integrated into our field-level engagement in Small Island Developing States. Within this group of evidence, there's the Analytical Support Mechanism for Agrifood System Country Programming and Evidence, the SCOPE initiative, where FAO has established a specific Small Island Developing States team to provide data and analysis, starting from a comprehensive diagnostic of the country's agrifood systems to the identification of root causes, binding constraints, and leverage points, and lastly, offering policy and investment options that take into account trade-offs and risks. Triggered by the UN Common Country Analysis and the UN Sustainable Development Country Framework, SCOPE is a concrete example of FAO's contribution to support members with the required expertise and evidence to support system-wide coordination and drive the transformation needed. Thank you.

I thank the FAO and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Thank you, Vice President. Seas are among the most hydrologically vulnerable regions in the world, and their limited land area, geographic isolation, complex geology, and small aquifers make them highly sensitive to extreme weather events. Freshwater availability and quality face increasing threats and challenges that demand innovative science-based solutions. The IEA has long been a steadfast partner to SEAS. Through our technical cooperation program, we support SEAS across multiple sectors: food, agriculture, health and nutrition, water resource management, marine monitoring, and energy planning. Through our technical cooperation program, the IEA supports 7 Pacific Small Islands Developing States in food, agriculture, health and nutrition. Our sub-regional approach to the Pacific Pacific Islands implemented over the last 2 years focuses on areas where nuclear science can have biggest impact. In Vanuatu, researchers have gained hands-on experience in mutation breeding to develop new crop varieties better suited to the changing climate condition. In Fiji, the IAEA is supporting the Fiji National University become the sub-regional hub for nutrition program, which is training in isotope isotopic techniques to assess body composition and combat non-communicable disease, now the leading cause of death in most Pacific countries. The flagship initiative Atom for Food, launched in 2023 by the IAEA and FAO, provides practical assistance to countries, including SEAS, to enhance resilience and address priorities in food security and safety. In Cuba, the IAEA supported efforts to enhance countries' capacity to use the nuclear tool for regional marine monitoring, strengthening the seafood safety program, and building resilience in coast communities. Through the Rays of Hope initiative, the IAEA expanding the access to the life-saving cancer care, radiotherapy, and nuclear medicine service in low- and middle-income countries. Jamaica's experience offering valuable lessons for other SEAS. A paper published in April 2026 described Jamaica's journey in strengthening regulatory oversight for nuclear and radiation safety. Most of SEAS depend almost entirely on imported oil for their energy needs. This dependency undermines energy security, drains foreign exchange, and the countries contribute to climate vulnerability. Small modular reactors, with their small footprint, reduced capital requirements, suitability for smaller grids, represent a potentially transformative solution for SEAS. The IAEA is actively supporting member states in accessing the feasibility of SBAR, SMR deployment, including through IAEA milestone approach and capacity building activities. So the IAEA stands ready to support them through the science-based— through science-based solution, capacity building, working with regional organizations, development partners, international financial institutions.

I thank IAEA. We have heard from the last speaker on the list. So I will now give the floor back to the moderator, Ambassador Frederick, to hear concluding reflections. Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you so very much, Mr. Vice President. I want to welcome before we— but we are spoiled now for time, and so I'll definitely give our panelists the opportunity to have a 3 to 4 minute intervention, and they've all expressed an understanding for me having to crack the whip earlier. So now we have a little time to ramajay, as we say in the Caribbean. I'm sorry to those who are doing translating. I don't know how ramajay translates. So I welcome the ASG, Mr. Navid Hanif from UNDESA, to the panel, and I will throw the conversation to our colleague, Mr. Matthew Bishop. 3 to 4 minutes just for your concluding comments and observations. Thank you. Anything you want to leave us with?

Thank you very much. I mean, I'd just like to pick up 2 or 3 comments that were made in the room, because I think they dovetail quite nicely with some of the arguments that we've tried to make in the State of SIDS report, which you've heard a little bit about today already. The first one really is from David, a colleague from UIMona, who made this really, really significant point about calculating the real cost of shocks. At the per capita level. This idea really that we talk a lot about SIDS having relatively high GDP per capita, which obviously masks a lot of development challenges, but we don't often measure the GDP per capita cost of a shock and a disaster when it hits. The fact is that some SIDS experience enormous GDP per capita losses when a shock hits, but even on an everyday ongoing basis, the slow-moving events that David talked about, in some SIDS average more than 1% losses per year, and that's quite a significant amount of losses to compound over a period of time, even if you don't experience a very sudden shock. And it's really, really important, I think, to think about what that actually means in terms of lost life chances, where government revenues are being spent on things other than education to service debt, debt that was accumulated at much higher cost than it is in other countries, as we've talked about earlier. And I think one of the arguments we try and make in the State of SIDS report is to think about SIDS— think about both sides of the ledger. Don't just think about cost, think about benefit as well. And SIDS are massive contributors, net contributors, to global well-being. To humanity as a whole. They make an outsized contribution to the maintenance of global public goods, cultural diversity, good governance, good multilateral governance in particular. They are custodians of enormous ocean spaces. Yet a lot of that is just not counted because of the systems that we have. So we don't always have a fair representation of both sides of the ledger. The second point I wanted to make follows on from our Barbadian colleague from the Business and International Group. This comment about skills mismatch in SIDS labor markets is really, really important. I think it's something that's only going to intensify as AI continues to upend the ways we do things. But I think one thing, again, that we talk about in the report that is underrecognized— and this is a point probably for lots of countries, not just SIDS— but it's particularly acute in SIDS, is the extent to which so much of the labour and work that takes place is uncounted and unvalued and undervalued, in particular in the care economy. UNCTAD has done some really important work recently on productive capacities in SIDS, and in the consultations that were undertaken for that work in the Caribbean, there was huge discussion from people about the difficulties of caring, the fact that so much care work is undertaken predominantly by women, internalized by them, and essentially unvalued, undercounted, and doesn't feature at all in any of our kind of conventional statistics. If you add that on top of the fact that in many cases those women also tend to be the main breadwinners in many households, they often perform quite dangerous labor, particularly in fisheries and other kinds of difficult jobs. This creates a real challenge in terms of the things we count and things we don't count. And then the final point, and I'll end here, I just wanted to really acknowledge what the colleague from Belize said, the ambassador. There are so many simple things that the international community and international organizations can do in order to make SIDS engagement with them just that little bit easier. So she talks about minimum allocation windows. There are lots and lots of other simplification processes that could take place which would really, really make things much, much much easier and better for SIDS to be able to access the resources that are potentially on offer but they can't always get to. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Bishop. I turn to His Excellency Mr. Vayingatoni. Any concluding remarks from you, Ambassador?

Thank you very much, Madam Moderator, Ambassador Vignette. Just 3 points. As we approach 2030 and the midterm review of the BAS, the question is not whether SIDS have demonstrated commitment. The question is whether the international system is sufficiently adapted to the realities of Small Island Developing States. Secondly, SIDS are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fair recognition of vulnerability, partnerships that build resilience, and financing arrangements that reflect our realities. Third point, and the last one, is if we invest in resilience, institutions, and people, and if we genuinely implement the promise of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda, then SIDS can move from managing vulnerabilities to shaping a more resilient and prosperous future. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you. We will hear from the Minister-Council of Saint Kitts. Mr. Eustace Wallace.

Thank you, Madam Ambassador. As someone from Nevis, you know, I always appreciate when the full country is recognized. I imagine people in the Grenadines feel the same way. Um, I want to close with, with 2 messages, one to our development partners and of course one to fellow colleagues. First, to our partners. One of the persistent challenges we face in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and I know this resonates across most regions, is that technical assistance and expertise don't always land where they're most needed. Partners sometimes arrive with their own frameworks, their own priorities, and sometimes their own assumptions as well about what high-income or middle-income vulnerable countries need. The result is that support can be misaligned, though well-intentioned, but not really targeted to the actual vulnerabilities that are driving regression. And so that is something that, as we scale up our partnerships, we really need to ensure that island states are at the lead when it comes to solving problems and issues. Now, this message is to my fellow SIDS. We have to be honest about where we are. The Vulnerability Resilience Country Profile is still in its pilot phase. Saint Kitts and Nevis was the first country to have a go at this, and what our experience has taught us is just as much about the methodology as it is about our own vulnerabilities. We've learned what works, what needs refinement, and what questions remain about efficiency and efficacy of the tool itself. And here's the thing: the methodology can be strengthened if more countries come forward and work with us, and indeed with UNDESA. Every country that pilots the VRCP adds to our collective understanding of our vulnerability and resilience manifest differently across different countries, different economic structures, different climate exposures, different social contexts. So I want to make a direct appeal, a direct ask. If your country has not yet volunteered to pilot the VRCP, please consider doing so. The process is nationally owned and democratic. It's not something done to you, It's something built with you. Your experience will not only help your own country better understand its vulnerabilities, it will help us to build a stronger tool for the entire SIDS community. Thank you.

Well said, well said. Now, I invite the ESG of UNDESA, Mr. Navid Hanif, to offer some reflections.

Thank you, Excellency. I will capture in 3 points the crux of the discussion that we have heard today. And I think first and foremost, there are persistent gaps and challenges in availability of data, in financing, institutional capacity, and equitable participation in global governance, and they continue to constrain progress towards the implementation of ABAS. Second, which actually DESA has repeatedly analyzed, and there are strong headwinds coming our way— downward revisions in growth prospects. IMF 2 days ago has further Downward revision of global growth prospects, strong headwinds. Deflationary trends, which were very encouraging, are disappearing now. Actually more worried about inflation because of the conflict. It's also coming our way. Investment flows—they have increased among developed countries, not to developing countries. And the PR of Belize mentioned, so it's. Share is a very, very small fraction. So that's— this is persistent challenges and the headwinds we are facing right now. If we want to address the issues of SIDS, a message has come across very clearly: please capture the reality by moving beyond GDP. And MDI is a tool which DESA has the honour to host the Secretariat. And we are committed to making it technically very sound. And I am joining the speaker from St. Kitts and Nevis. Countries should volunteer for VRSPs. You will be amazed if you look at the St. Kitts and Nevis VRSP, the profile, the community level, the household level vulnerability differs from macro level vulnerability, and meta is even very different. I found that very revealing when I read the VRCP. We need data from SIDS, from LDCs, from LLDCs, from middle-income countries to develop MVI which captures these realities, technically sound. And my last request is, MVI, we are confident, hopeful, and determined to make sure it is technically to a large extent, a flawless tool. It has its challenges, but it will be a very effective tool. But it won't be useful unless its applicability is advanced politically. So SIDS voices at the political level are critical in decision-making centres in the world, largely IFIs and those who allocate concessional finance. Work with us in improving the technical soundness of MDI and then politically make sure it is applied and used when funds are allocated. Thank you.

Thank you to all of the panelists for what has been a truly scintillating conversation. I've thought about what we have heard today. What will we take away from today? Geopolitical circumstances today are different to what obtained when ABASS was created. We heard that from our Barbadian counterpart. We heard that we must innovate relentlessly. We heard that there are simple responses that can be taken on board in terms of making progress. We need to approach incremental progress. There are simple things that can be done. We heard that SIDS foreign direct investment is 0.6% of the global total, so for us, you know, there are figures there that paint a jarring picture. We heard that we must enable implementation, that the partnerships must be country-driven, that financing must match ambition. Among the takeaways, one of the salient points that has been made is that the international system has not evolved quickly enough to respond to the realities of SIDS. Looking ahead, implementation must be more intentional. I hope to see partnerships that focus on building lasting national capacity, strengthening our institutions, accelerating digital transformation— we heard about bridging the divide— and investing in resilient infrastructure that can withstand future shocks. The next years must be characterized not by more promises, but by faster implementation, quite frankly, greater solidarity, most certainly, and a development system that truly responds to the realities of SIDS and indeed of Caribbean SIDS. Thank you all for your engagement in this session and for your support of the Small Island Developing States. I hand over to you, Mr. Vice President.

I thank Madam Moderator, Ambassador, for thoughtful guidance of an indeed interesting exchange of views. I also thank our distinguished speakers and all delegations for their substantive and valuable contributions. We have thus completed our program of work for this meeting. Before concluding, I'd like to remind delegations that have developed the mobile app to evaluate the HLPF. The QR in the room, so I would encourage to complete the relevant survey. The forum will reconvene this afternoon at 3:00 PM to continue with its program of work. Detailed information is available on iGov platform and HLPF website. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you.