Earth Today | Small island developing states insist on special consideration

THE ALLIANCE of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) has further elevated the advocacy of their members for the recognition and consistent application of the “special circumstances of SIDS” in climate change and sustainable development decision-making, insisting that it constitutes a principle of international law.

The group of 39 small island and low-lying coastal developing states, on the margins of the recent high-level United Nations General Assembly, issued a Declaration in which they insist not only that the “Special Circumstances of Small Island Developing States constitute a principle of international law, and must be fully operationalised” but also that “the Special Circumstances of SIDS should be used as a guiding principle for the implementation of international obligations”.

This, they explained, has its grounding in, among other things, the fact that SIDS are “inherently and uniquely vulnerable to exogenous shocks owing to … their small size, geographical remoteness, highly dispersed populations, the limited scale and undiversified nature of their economies, high dependence on external markets, and extreme exposure to disasters and natural hazards, and the effects of climate change”.

These, the countries noted, create serious challenges to sustainable development and the ability to cope with environmental stressors.

As such, they have maintained that SIDS are entitled to “particular consideration” concerning not only access to “simplified procedures, tailored eligibility criteria and dedicated non-debtcreating financing”, but also to procedures that ensure meaningful participation and consent in decisions that havetransboundary effects on, or which affect marine and terrestrial environments.

SIDS, given their special circumstances, the Declaration said further, are also entitled to “tailored obligations that recognise constrained human, technical, and institutional capacities” that do not diminish their sovereignty and “measures that address disproportionate exposure to environmental harm, economic shocks and cumulative ecological risk”.

The time to act in the best interest of SIDS, they said, is now.

“Too often, there are attempts to treat our nations as though they were no different from larger or more resilient countries, disregarding the unique vulnerabilities that define our reality,” said President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau.

“This undermines not only our ability to access resources, but also the very foundation of the international community’s pledge to ensure that no one is left behind,” he added.

His sentiments were echoed by John Briceño, the prime minister of Belize.

“Belize proudly supports the Declaration on the Special Circumstances of Small Island Developing States. It is a powerful affirmation of our unique challenges and a strong call for the world to act on the realities facing small island states,” he said.

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