Forward-looking paper. 29 August 2003

U N E S C ODraft29 August 2003/Paper version

Small Islands: Looking Forward -- Beyond 2004

Aims and context

The aim of this short document is to contribute a forward-looking perspective to the ongoing review of the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) Programme of Action, which will culminate in an international meeting in Mauritius in August 2004. The document has been prepared by UNESCO as part of its own contribution to the Barbados+10 (B+10) process (http://portal.unesco.org/islandsBplus10)

This working draft is designed to encourage reflection and debate. It has been based on various studies and papers produced recently.[1] Readers are invited and encouraged to contribute their ideas and suggestions. The intention is that the draft will be revised periodically in the lead-up to the August 2004 meeting in Mauritius, with updated drafts accessible through the special UNESCO web site for the B+10 process.

Some key issues

There are many ways of perceiving and presenting the key issues relating to the sustainable development of SIDS, reflected for example in the topics identified in the Barbados Programme of Action itself, in the Barbados+5 review of October 1999 and in the documents of several regional organizations, as well as in more broadly based agendas such as the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

The topical areas listed below are just one way of grouping issues and challenges. Clearly, each of these areas is integrally linked with the others, and cannot be addressed in isolation. These interconnections underlie the challenge of trying to bring new thinking to the future of SIDS, reflected here in the introductory topic on resilience as one possible integrating framework.

1. Fostering resilience of human societies and ecological systems in a sea of islands

Small islands are often viewed as scattered outcrops of land in large oceanic expanses. Against this background, remoteness and isolation are two commonly perceived characteristics of small-island communities, and usually regarded as problems or disadvantages.

During the last decade, however, alternative perspectives have been presented, emphasizing the vision of a sea of islands interacting with each other and with diaspora and the rest of the world through, for example, education, migration, investment, trade, tourism and telecommunications.

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There is a gulf of difference between viewing the Pacific as ‘islands in a far sea’ and as ‘a sea of islands’. The first emphasizes dry surfaces in a vast ocean far from the centres of power. When you focus this way you stress the smallness and remoteness of the islands. The second is a more holistic perspective in which things are seen in the totality of their relationships.E. Hau’ofa, Our Sea of Islands, 1993.

This all encompassing, inclusive perception has implications for the sustainable development of insular human societies and associated ecological systems of land and water: particularly in terms of their resilience -- the ability to cope with, adapt to and shape change without losing options for future development. Resilience includes the capacity to self organize and learn, and without it social and ecological systems become increasingly vulnerable.

Worldwide, a growing number of case studies have revealed the tight connection between resilience, diversity and sustainability of social and ecological systems. These studies suggest that resilient systems are flexible, and open to learning and adaptation, thereby incorporating memory, legacy, diversity and the capacity to innovate in both social and ecological areas.

The fundamental underlying challenge is that of changing perceptions and behaviours, from the over-riding goal of increasing productive output to one of increasing adaptive capacity in small islands.

So far, relatively little attention has been paid to resilience within the context of small island developing states. As the Director-General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) said in a recent address “Resilience, adaptation, introspection, creativity, pro-action, are among some of the requirements of these new times.”[2]

Interdisciplinary work in this field could lead to identification of ways and means of encouraging adaptive and flexible approaches that attempt to build societal and ecological resilience in the face of complexity, uncertainty and surprise in a small-island context. And more broadly, resilience could usefully be embedded in strategies, policies and practices for the sustainable development of small island developing states.

2. Promoting greater self-reliance

In traditional island societies with an overwhelmingly non-formal economy, there was much inter-island exchange and interaction. But with today’s global monetary economy, there has been a major change in the scale and nature of small-island interactions with each other and with the wider world. While small islands cannot be expected to become totally self-sufficient, the search for greater self-reliance is seen as critical for many small island states, particularly given the perceived over-dependence of some countries on outside support and on narrowly based economies (e.g. economies overly dependent on tourism or export of a single monoculture crop).

In working towards greater self-reliance, considerations put forward in recent international discussions include the implementation of wise policies and practices in such fields as population growth, economic consumption, waste management, tourism development, energy use and resource management. Eradicating poverty and maintaining and developing sustainable livelihoods are other interlinked priorities contributing to greater self-reliance.

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3. Building human resource capacity

People, with their skills and creative imagination, are recognized as the most important resources in many small island developing countries. Thus the existence of an informed and educated population is perceived by many as a prerequisite for sustainable development and for small islands to become internationally more competitive in high value-added services.

Re-assessment of education and capacity-building in a small-island context should incorporate emerging opportunities and innovations (e.g. new partnerships, distance education) as well as long-standing issues such as special needs at different levels – basic, secondary, higher, technical, vocational – as well as areas such as education for all and integrating local content into school curricula. In some islands there may be need to reverse some current trends, which produce individuals with limited skills and unattainable aspirations, and favour one gender group to the detriment of the other, by improving and refocusing school curricula, job placement programmes, mentoring and career guidance programmes.

4. Communicating and linking

Today’s processes of globalization are in part driven by information and communications technologies (ICTs). Readily available new knowledge and information increasingly determine patterns of growth and wealth creation and open up possibilities for more effective poverty reduction and sustainable development. As reflected in the debates associated with the World Summit on the Information Society, ICTs have a crucial role to play in changing perceptions across all sectors of society, and in sharing experience and insights from one geographic setting to another.

In the last few years, considerable progress has been made in using ICTs within a small island context. One example within UNESCO’s programmes is a multilingual, internet-based discussion on wise coastal practices for sustainable human development, which reaches more than 16,000 persons . Another example is the inter-regional ‘Small Islands Voice’ initiative, which combines ICTs with print, radio, television and other media in promoting the involvement of civil society (including youth) in discussions on key environment-development issues. A third example is the development of community multi-media centres as a means of promoting local empowerment in isolated areas.

The further utilization of ICTs in small islands calls for innovative ways of overcoming obstacles and constraints, such as limited and costly internet access.

5. Institutions working together

During the last decade or so, the governments and peoples of small island developing states have effectively argued that their countries experience specific developmental problems that call for special treatment at bilateral, regional and international levels. This special situation is reflected in such documents as the Barbados Programme of Action and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, as well as the work of bodies such as the Alliance of Small Island States.

There appears to be a consensus that small islands should continue to present a strong, unified front with a shared political voice, whilst also respecting differences and diversity. The concept of ‘large ocean island states’ – small land areas but large ocean expanses that have major importance in terms of resources and transport – is one that could reinforce the

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negotiating position of small islands. Ways to exchange experience and develop mutually supportive actions between small island developing states and islands with other affiliations, such as those that form part of continental or archipelagic countries, need to be further emphasized.

At the regional level, a wide range of bodies work with and on behalf of the countries and territories concerned. There are varying opinions on the effectiveness of regionalism among small-island states. Indeed some observers have commented that in certain parts of the world, individual regional organizations have taken over some national responsibilities for strategic planning and project management.

Another set of institutional issues concerns the Type II partnerships associated with the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development: bringing together governments, international and regional agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector to tackle specific issues relating to sustainable development in small island situations.

6. Promoting island identity to effect social change

Social and cultural dimensions of sustainable development -- somewhat neglected in the Barbados Programme of Action – have received considerable attention in several recent discussions on issues affecting daily life in small islands in different regions: widespread unemployment and underemployment, emigration-immigration movements and impacts of foreign labour, increases in crime and violence, substance use (alcohol, smoking, drugs), teenage pregnancy, health issues (especially HIV-AIDS), young persons at risk (in some regions, young males in particular), social fragmentation, racism and ethnic conflict. Issues and problems such as these are perceived as being of pressing and immediate importance by many island communities. Responses require far-reaching and long-term changes which of necessity must involve all sectors of society. Collaborative decision-making, involving a shared vision among government, civil society and communities, is a key requisite for addressing these social issues and ills..

Small islands as cultural crossroads. The history of the islands of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, testifies to the great cultural interaction and mixing that small islands have offered humanity. Indeed, it may be appropriate to consider small islands as great crossroads of human cultural interaction, rather than as remote and isolated entities. This is reflected through such UNESCO projects as ‘Vaka Moana - the Ocean Roads’ in the Pacific and the ‘Slave Route’ initiative in the Caribbean and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Island societies offer a cultural crossroads. You don’t find the ‘fortress mentality’ that often exists in big metropolises. Islands are more open to outside influences that are absorbed and regurgitated as something entirely new. [...] Island peoples have an incredible interest in ‘elsewhere’, possibly the result of a need to escape a sense of physical confinement. Consequently they have an extraordinary capacity for change and adaptation.Rex Nettleford, UNESCO Sources, 1992.

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Many island peoples and societies have an in-depth appreciation of the cultural and biophysical dimensions of development. This is reflected in the priority given in certain regions to the preserving of traditions, valuing local languages and promoting the identity and dignity of islanders. The incorporation of the knowledge and wisdom of local users and interest groups in the formulation and sharing of wise management practices is one way to strengthen these dimensions.

7. Managing natural resources, addressing environmental vulnerability

The sometimes limited natural resources of small islands place constraints on development. Insular natural resources -- waters, air, soil, vegetation, wildlife, fish, contiguous near-shore and oceanic systems – play crucial roles in determining the capacity of an island to adapt to changes such as those resulting from economic development. Energy and waste management are continuing priority concerns in many small islands.

Diversity is one key foundation for sustainable social and economic development - an insurance against uncertainty and surprise – and a promoter of resilience. Diversity ranges from genes to species to landscapes and seascapes, but also includes knowledge and learning environments.

Island vulnerability. Erosion of the support systems and ecosystem services provided by nature leads to increasing vulnerability. Many SIDS are in any event especially vulnerable to environmental threats: climate variation and change, natural hazards such as hurricanes (cyclones) and storm surges; alien invading species of plants and animals. Indices have been developed to address the vulnerability of small island developing states to socio-economic and environmental phenomena as well as identifying the challenges to their sustainable development.

Island populations need to be fully informed about the factors influencing climate change, and governments around the world should be held responsible for their activities that contribute to changes in climate. Integrating adaptation to climate change into national development plans is one pro-active measure for small islands. And more generally, actions should be encouraged that provide for adaptive management processes, so that islanders can learn, generate knowledge and cope with change – yet another aspect of resilience.

8. A new look at finance, trade and investment

There exist many complex relationships between small island countries and the larger economies with which they interact. In the quest for economic development, small islands have pursued a range of strategies. Some have concentrated investment on a particular economic sector (e.g. mineral resources, commercial agriculture, textile manufacturing, tourism, financial services). Remittances from abroad, development assistance and resource licensing are other important sources of financial income for small island developing states.

At the present time many SIDS feel threatened by the way that regional and international trade agreements may give large service providers from metropolitan countries the right to compete on equal terms as small local providers.

UNESCO’s concern with trade and investment --identified as priority issues in the review of the Barbados Programme of Action – lies in their linkages with its fields of competence:

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culture, basic and natural sciences, social and human sciences, communication and information, and education. Ethical and philosophical considerations pervade UNESCO’s actions in many fields, and as such provide a principal entry point for the Organization’s participation in discussions on trade, investment and development aid in the lead-up to the Mauritius meeting in August 2004. Reference can be made to a recent discussion on foreign and local investment in small island development, posted on UNESCO’s Small Islands Voice global forum.[3]

9. Concluding remarks

Small Island Developing States face many challenges of development -- some intrinsic and timeless, others extrinsic and new-- arising from small land size, large exclusive economic zone, geographical dispersion, vulnerability to natural hazards and disasters, limited terrestrial natural resources, rich cultural resources, heavy dependence on imports and limited commodities, isolation from markets, tourism potentials and pressures, and many other characteristics and processes. Since the Barbados conference of 1994, there has been progress towards sustainable development in many small island countries, at the same time as new concerns have sharpened. In addressing new and evolving challenges, small- island societies will continue to draw on their notable capacity for adaptation and innovation, and their proven determination and capability to overcome many adversities . Small- island countries well recognize the need to maintain solidarity among themselves, as a special case in sustainable development, while treasuring their diversity.

The world’s small island developing states are front-line zones where, in concentrated form, many of the main problems of environment and development are unfolding. As such, they are the big tests for the commitments made at the 1992 World Summit.United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, at 'Barbados +5', September 1999.

In contributing towards a new vision and commitment for small islands, UNESCO’s own action will continue to be rooted in its fields of competence: culture, basic and natural sciences, social and human sciences, communication and education. The underlying challenge is that of building bridges and encouraging networks, in promoting problem-solving actions that cut across sectors and specialities, that mobilize key actors and constituencies, that generate effective momentum and impact, that are culturally sensitive and scientifically sound, and that promote the exchange of information and experience within and between regions and between islands of different affiliations.

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Endnotes

1. Sources of information used in the preparation of this discussion document include the following:

-Report of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 May 1994. UN General Assembly Document A/CONF. 167/9. United Nations, New York. http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf167/aconf167-9.htm

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- Pacific Region Multi-Stakeholder Consultation in Preparation for the World Summit for Sustainable Development. Apia, Samoa, 4-7 September 2001.

- AOSIS Inter-Regional Preparatory Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Singapore, 7-11 January 2002. http://www.sidsnet.org/workshop/singapore_meeting.htlm

- Small States and Sustainable Development: Bridging the Gap (2002). Paper prepared by the Commonwealth Secretariat for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Commonwealth Secretariat, London.

- Resilience and Sustainable Development (2002). Science background paper commissioned by the Environmental Advisory Council of the Swedish Government in preparation for WSSD. ICSU Series on Science for Sustainable Development No. 3. International Council for Science (ICSU), Paris. http://www.icsu.org/Library/WSSD-Rep/Vol3.pdf

- The Growing Vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (2002). Report prepared by the University of the West Indies, Centre for Environment and Development, Mona, Kingston. http://www.sidsnet.org/

Environment and Sustainable Development: Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/C/57/262. December 2002. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sids/res_57.htm

Small Islands Voice: Laying the Foundation (2003). Report based on Small Islands Voice inter-regional workshop. Palau, 18-22 November 2002. UNESCO, Paris. http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/papers2/siv.htm

2. Address by Dr. Len Ishmael on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the signing of the treaty of Basseterre, 18 June 2003.

3. http://www.sivglobal.org/?read=20

Note to readers

Please send reactions to this working draft and suggestions for improvement and refinement (if possible, before 20 September) to:

UNESCO Focal Point for Barbados+10c/o SC/CSI1 rue Miollis75732 Paris Cedex 15FranceFax: 33 1 45685808E-mail: islandsBplus10@unesco.orgInternet: http://portal.unesco.org/islandsBplus10

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