Building resilient prosperity with small island developing states

The background

Back in 1992, the international community recognised SIDS as a “special case” for sustainable development at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development.

The UN organises SIDS conferences roughly every 10 years. These events offer crucial opportunities for leaders and stakeholders across various sectors to collaborate in supporting SIDS.

The SIDS4 conference (Antigua, 27-30 May) aimed to evaluate the progress made in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its ambitious 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), adopted by all UN Member States in 2015. The conference also set the SIDS agenda through to 2034 – beyond the timeframe by which the SDGs are supposed to be met.

The SIDS4 event was hosted by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, a small island developing state, and covered topics introduced by SIDS, delivered by SIDS, for SIDS. Its powerful theme – Charting the Course Towards Resilient Prosperity – underscored the urgency of building resilient communities and economic growth in these vulnerable regions.

The conference provided an effective platform for setting the SIDS agenda, via the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) and building international partnerships. Participants openly shared knowledge and best practices, and secured commitments to enhance resilience, sustainable development and economic prosperity of SIDS. This collaborative approach is vital for addressing the unique challenges these states face in the era of climate change.

Lack of resilience

Participants at the SIDS4 conference unanimously agreed that international action is urgently needed.

Why? Despite decades of talk, SIDS still lack the resources, capacity and tools needed to withstand the relentless and compounding effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, large-scale debt, and health and social challenges.

This list is daunting, but climate change stands out as the biggest threat to the survival and viability of SIDS communities and their natural ecosystems.

SIDS are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts, experiencing erratic precipitation, more frequent and severe weather events, tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, diminishing freshwater supplies, desertification, coastal erosion, land degradation and sea-level rise.

Yet SIDS contribute less than 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. This cruel irony was not lost on SIDS4 participants; rather, it galvanised them into action.

Setting the scene for SIDS4

On the eve of SIDS4, the closing session of the 2024 SIDS Global Business Network Forum highlighted the critical role of the private sector in supporting SIDS.

Fugro’s President for the Americas, Céline Gerson, was part of a distinguished panel that included His Excellency (H.E.) Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda; H.E. Mohamed Muizzu, President of Maldives; and Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN.

Céline emphasised the critical role of the private sector and demonstrated Fugro’s global leadership in supporting Geo-data, information and knowledge for SIDS. She explained that we map and monitor the Earth, both on land and at sea, providing the high-quality data essential for the sustainable development and resilience of SIDS, as described in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).

She reiterated the ABAS Declaration’s recognition of the importance of high-resolution data in policymaking, de-risking funding and monitoring progress for SIDS. Céline emphasised that companies like Fugro possess the expertise, technology and resources to collect, analyse and provide this critical data at scale and in an accelerated way.

Céline also highlighted a significant challenge: when developing solutions to many SIDS challenges, the approach has been both piecemeal and fragmented. Historically, Geo-data has been collected to address a single challenge at a single SIDS location. However, this method is inefficient and costly. What’s more, making decisions based on the analysis of incomplete data sets about natural ecosystems and the built environment can have dire (unintended) consequences for broader geographies and adjacent communities.

There is a far more effective way to build a long-term, holistic strategy for SIDS. The preferred alternative is to create a comprehensive, high-resolution data set for all SIDS in a region, and to make that data publicly available.

This will enable the international community to work with individual nations to develop realistic strategies which support resilience and prosperity; make sense for them; and may lead to the discovery of natural capital that creates new opportunities for protected marine areas and nature-based solutions.

Adopting this approach will enable SIDS to prioritise and de-risk investments; unlock international financing to deliver projects; and build resilient prosperity for their populations. It will provide a powerful opportunity for SIDS to demonstrate their climate leadership to the world while also building a centre of excellence for climate resilience.  

What we did at SIDS4

As a leading provider of Geo-data solutions for sustainable development and resilience in SIDS, we were honoured to have been invited to participate in the event. This recognition reflects our long-term commitment to promoting sustainable growth and environmental stewardship in island communities worldwide.

Our goal was threefold: to listen, learn and share. Our team of experts engaged with fellow SIDS4 participants, absorbing a wide range of experiences, views and ideas, while also sharing our extensive knowledge and experience in developing and applying Geo-data solutions to support SIDS.

Discussions at the conference, both formal and informal, largely focused on the four main challenges for SIDS: environmental vulnerability, economic fragility, fiscal constraints and ecological sensitivity. We explored how best to address these issues collaboratively.

Additionally, we partnered with other organisations to deliver four ‘side events’. These sessions allowed us to share our expertise in mitigating climate impacts on coastal communities, including through innovative nature-based coastal resilience solutions, sustainable development and sustainable ocean management.

What we learned from SIDS4

Our team learned a great deal from SIDS4. Both in conference sessions and in informal conversations, we encountered high levels of engagement and reciprocity, along with a strong desire to work collectively to make a positive difference.

After four fascinating days at SIDS4, here are our key takeaways from the conference:  

• Collaborate, co-design and co-develop: a partnership approach with coordinated resources and integrated programmes will drive better value for SIDS than working in silos;

• Think big: supporting SIDS requires an expansive vision. This means agreeing on the comprehensive collection of high-resolution data at scale and then transforming it into actionable insights;

• Leverage innovations: to accelerate the development of large-scale initiatives, SIDS in the same region will need to be able to collaborate and maximise the application of technological innovations to extract value from every square metre of data collected;

• Act fast: the time for action is now. For SIDS, the next 10 years will be critical.

In conclusion

SIDS are often described as the ‘canary in the coalmine’ for climate change.

They are facing the challenges of climate change much earlier and more intensely than developed nations, with some communities already displaced. These are not hypothetical scenarios; these are real-world consequences happening right now.

However, SIDS also present an opportunity to demonstrate the rest of the world how to prepare effectively and create a safe and liveable environment for future generations.

As the conference closed, world leaders adopted the ABAS Declaration and pledged to help SIDS achieve their priorities over the next 10 years. This agreement is a game-changer for SIDS and offers a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.

Did you know?

• SIDS are on the frontline of climate change impacts, despite collectively contributing just 1% of global carbon emissions

• By 2100, chronic coastal flooding or permanent inundation are expected to affect more than 10% of the population in many SIDS, potentially displacing nearly 40 million people

• SIDS are home to more than 40% of the world’s coral reefs, which provide coastal protection by reducing wave heights by around 70%. The reefs support more than 25% of marine life