SIDS For All — All For SIDS: The World Must Stand Up For One of Its Most Vulnerable
As countries grapple with the challenge of taking responsibility for climate action at the COP24 in Katowice, addressing the pressing development needs and survival concerns of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) requires sustained attention at the heart of the climate change agenda. SIDS face an acute existential climate crisis that is not of their making. They are, in fact, paying a heavy price for carbon emissions of other countries’ and their inaction to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. According to the recent IPCC Report, the level of carbon dioxide reached a record level of 405 parts per million (ppm) in 2017, with the SIDS responsible for less than 1% of emissions. The link between emissions and global warming is starkly evident in the challenges posed to every aspect of life, livelihoods, environment and sustainable development pathways in the SIDS.
It is justifiable for the SIDS to pound the podium at every international fora about the magnitude of the challenge they face and show their anguish at their sheer inability to overcome these issues on their own, due to their inherent limitations such as small land territory, limited market participation, small population sizes, remote locations, limited natural and human resources and narrow economic base. Indeed, why should they pay for someone else’s greenhouse gas emissions? Why should they carry the burden for someone else’s unsustainable growth model? Can the international community rise to the challenge and do more to save SIDS and coastal communities from rising sea levels? The community of nations needs to deliver on the commitments articulated in the SAMOA Pathway, Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as complement the efforts being made by SIDS themselves.
In spite of the recognition of the special development situation of the SIDS and the adoption of global development frameworks with specific attention to the SIDS such as the SAMOA Pathway and the SIDS-centric components of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework, little seems to have changed on the ground.
The disproportionate impact of climate change and related disasters are key contributors towards undermining and rolling back sustainable development in many SIDS, which account for two-thirds of the countries with the highest relative annual disaster losses. In 2017, the hurricane season in the Caribbean resulted in the loss of more than half of the region’s GDP with some countries losing nearly 90% of their homes or suffering from damage equivalent to 200% of their annual GDP. Territories and countries like the British Virgin Islands suffered a loss 3.5 times its GDP while Dominica lost 200% of its GDP and Antigua and Barbuda estimated its recovery costs to be equal to its annual earnings. The story is no different in the Pacific where it is estimated that nearly US$112 billion worth of infrastructure, buildings, and cash crops are at risk.
Recognizing this reality, the SAMOA Pathway has identified disaster risk reduction and climate action as a key priority for achieving sustainable development, including risk-informing national and sectoral development planning to help reduce exposure and vulnerabilities while at the same time advancing the objectives of SDGs. But, it is disheartening to note that only 10 percent of the total disaster-related global aid to SIDS between 1999–2010 went towards prevention and preparedness. As a result, investing in sustainability and resilience of hard-earned development gains has received less attention.
This necessitates a step-change, and quite immediate too, in how the international community configures its development engagement in the SIDS.
- First, the specific context of SIDS mandates a comprehensive agenda addressing a range of socio-economic development priorities along with a risk-informed perspective by mainstreaming or integrating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into all development plans, policies, and sectors. This would increase public and private sector accountability for reducing existing risks and preventing the creation of new risks;
- Second, a more contextual, tailored and sustained approach based on risk-informed development solutions is required to address the specific needs and priorities of SIDS. With a total population of just 65 million, there is a need for better spatial, urban and demographic planning, and for strengthening the interface between local government and communities to help enhance impact and efficiency of community risk management plans and local development strategies;
- Third, there needs to be a conscious shift towards a more sustainable development trajectory that promotes ecosystem-based DRR and adaptation solutions. Ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves, forests, and wetland play an important role for communities’ livelihoods and food security and help build resilience against natural hazards such as storm surges and hurricanes;
- Fourth, improving the availability of local risk data and early warning is crucial to protect people and socio-economic assets. Despite considerable progress made in meteorological and climate services in SIDS, significant gaps remain in the generation, dissemination and application of local risk information and assessments, and communication of early warnings to local authorities and communities.
- Fifth, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SAMOA Pathway calls for an enhanced level of coordination and development cooperation. Fostering public-private partnerships and engaging with a range of development actors will help develop synergies of action to instill a sense of speed and scale in keeping with the magnitude of the challenges faced. This includes the marshaling of technical, technological, financial, knowledge and human resources to provide integrated development solutions. Finally, it is critical to diversifying the economic base to reduce the reliance of SIDS on a few socio-economic sectors, and thus help build resilience and mitigate the disaster and climate impacts on natural resource-based livelihoods.
Since 2005, disaster risk assessments have been conducted in nearly 15 SIDS and national loss databases have been institutionalized in nearly 19 countries. For example, private sector engagement in the Maldives was aided to use drone technology for risk mapping. In Mauritius, a partnership with DHL helped strengthen the national response and recovery capacity by training airport personnel and authorities with a focus on airport readiness during disasters and with special consideration for the overwhelming dependence on external air-based support for quick search and rescue, response and recovery. Successful and sustained engagement with the private sector needs to be expanded upon. For the SIDS, their small size need not always be construed as a disadvantage. In fact, their small land territory and population size makes it easier to implement desired interventions quickly, and at low cost while also making it easier to monitor progress and impact.
The needs and priorities of SIDS are imperative, especially considering the magnitude of existential challenges confronting them. One hopes that world leaders and development actors will increasingly translate assurances into action at scale. The cycle of deferring action from one COP to the next needs to be finally broken. The traditional approaches and systems need to change. The time for action is short. The world must stand up for SIDS and their most vulnerable populations, and commit to leaving no one, country or territory behind.
Authors: Riad MEDDEB, Sustainable Development Policy Advisor for United Nation Development Program for UNDP, Rajeev ISSAR, Disaster and Climate Risk Governance Policy Specialist for UNDP and Martin RAS, Climate Change and Disaster Policy Specialist for UNDP.