Excellencies,
Madam President of the General Assembly,
Distinguished Co-Chairs,
Distinguished participants,
I am honoured to join you for the 2025 Global Multi-Stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue.
I thank the Permanent Representatives of the Maldives and Latvia for their exemplary leadership as Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS.
I also congratulate Member States on reaching consensus on the recent Second Committee resolution related to the Small Island Developing States. I applaud SIDS for their leadership throughout this process.
The resolution is a vital mandate. It includes recommendations to strengthen the SIDS Partnership Framework, providing an important opportunity to boost collaboration and expand the reach and effectiveness of partnerships aligned with the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. It is a clear call to increase stakeholder engagement, raise awareness, and enhance the impact of our work.
Crucially, the resolution endorses the ABAS monitoring and evaluation framework as an instrument of national ownership. I encourage SIDS to make full use of this framework when reporting on progress made on the implementation of the ABAS, and I welcome the call for DESA and OHRLLS to support the necessary capacity-building.
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
ABAS makes it clear that delivering resilient prosperity for SIDS requires the mobilization of all sectors of society, working together with a genuine, inclusive, and collaborative spirit.
This broad approach to collaboration is not optional; it is essential.
SIDS face complex and intersecting challenges — from climate impacts and economic shocks, to demographic pressures, biodiversity loss, and the persistent effects of global inequities. These challenges cannot be addressed by Governments alone. They demand coordinated action, innovative thinking, and a shared commitment to results.
Today’s Dialogue is about deepening that vision. By bringing together governments, innovators, civil society, young people, and development partners, we are demonstrating the whole-of-government and whole-of-society collaboration that ABAS calls for.
In the discussions this morning, we will focus on strengthening the enabling environment for delivering on ABAS — from financing and data, to capacity-building, technology, and governance. We must use this Dialogue to highlight concrete, high-impact cooperation that accelerates implementation on the ground.
To support this, we have introduced an innovative feature in the form of the SIDS Partnership Labs. These collaborative spaces aim to allow Governments, UN entities, academia, civil society, and youth to explore solutions in key areas central to ABAS. Seven Partnership Labs are being held today, covering topics such as science and technology, renewable energy, blue economy, resilient agrifood systems, civil society collaboration, and data.
Dear Colleagues,
The success of ABAS depends not only on political commitment but also on our collective ability to engage and collaborate in new, transformative ways.
I look forward to the ideas and solutions that will emerge today, and to celebrate the impactful work of this year’s winners of the SIDS Partnerships Awards.
Together, let us accelerate the momentum of SIDS4 and move decisively towards realizing the ambitions of ABAS for all Small Island Developing States.
Thank you.