Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development
of Small Island Developing States
The populations of small islands are acutely vulnerable
to environmental degradation, climate change, overexploitation
of fisheries resources, land-based pollution, and natural
disasters. Moreover, they share a number of disadvantages,
including a limited population, a narrow range of available
resources, excessive dependence on international trade and
vulnerability to global developments. In addition, they
suffer from lack of economies of scale, high transportation
and communication costs, and costly public administration
and infrastructure.
In April 1994 a global conference was held in Barbados
to consider how small island States could face up to their
special challenges. The Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States determined that sustainable development
was the logical answer, and adopted the Barbados
Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small
Island Developing States to help bring it about.
Some 125 States and territories participated in the conference,
46 of which were small island developing States and territories.
As part of the follow-up action, the Commission on Sustainable
Development, in the context of its Multi-Year thematic Programme
of Work, reviewed the implementation of the Barbados Programme
of Action at its fourth session in 1996 and its sixth session
in 1998.
The Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development considers
on a regular basis the United Nations system-wide coordination
in the implementation of the Conference outcome.
At present, forty-one small island developing States and
territories are included in the list used by the United
Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in monitoring
the progress in the implementation of the Barbados Programme
of Action. These states and territories often work together
through the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) which
also includes small low-lying coastal States. All of the
41 are participants in one of the Regional Seas programmes,
and in fact two of the regions are dominated by small island
developing States and territories: The Wider Caribbean and
the South Pacific.
To facilitate the follow-up to the conference and the implementation
of the Programme of Action, a SIDS unit was placed within
the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development.
Programme of Action
The Small Islands Developing States Programme of Action
(SIDS/POA) explicitly identify coastal and marine resources
as an area requiring urgent action and asks for the establishment
and/or strengthening of programmes within the framework
of the GPA and the Regional Seas programmes, to assess the
impact of planning and development on the coastal environment,
including coastal communities, wetlands, coral reefs habitats
and the areas under the national jurisdiction of SIDS and
to implement the POA.
As a group, SIDS have special needs if they are to develop
in a sustainable way. They share characteristics that make
them economically, environmentally and socially vulnerable
to shocks over which they exercise little or no control,
placing them at a distinct disadvantage in comparison with
larger countries. The marine and coastal environments of
SIDS represent a vital resource for socio-economic development.
Marine and coastal areas encompass diverse ecosystems and
habitats, which perform a number of functions and services.
The Regional Seas Programme provides an important globally
coordinated, region-wide mechanism to implement all relevant
global environmental conventions and agreements. SIDS mainly
dominate two regions; the Wider Caribbean and the South
Pacific, but all SIDS are part of a Regional Seas programme.
In 2002, the United Nations General Assembly called for
a comprehensive review of the Barbados Programme of Action
(BPoA) which was adopted in 1994. The BPoA sets forth specific
actions and measures at the national, regional, and international
levels in support of the sustainable development of the
small island developing States (SIDS). In 2005, the International
community will convene in Mauritius to discuss recommendations
for further and successful implementation of the BPoA.
For more information:
SIDS website
SIDS website
of United Nations/Sustainable Development
SIDS website of FAO
SIDS website
of UNDP
AOSIS website
UNEP islands website
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