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Economic and Social Council

Meetings and Events of ECOSOC and its Subsidiary Bodies

Panel discussion on: Opportunities for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

ECOSOC Chamber, Temporary North Lawn Building (TNLB) at the United Nations
20 July, 2010
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

This year, the General Assembly will organize a two-day high-level review to assess progress made in addressing the vulnerabilities of small island developing States through the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 of General Assembly resolution 64/199. Against this background, the Council¿s discussion of sustainable development during its annual session would be an opportunity to explore potential opportunities for these countries with a view towards building resilience as they confront climate change and the fall-out of the economic and financial crisis.

Objectives of the panel discussion:

The panel discussion will;

  1. Identify areas of potential opportunities in SIDS;
  2. Describe specific examples of measures undertaken in different countries to explore such opportunities; and
  3. Make proposals as to how such opportunities may be further developed.

Themes for the panel discussion:

To meet the above objectives, the panel discussion will address the following opportunities related to;

  1. The Agricultural sector, for example, the emergence of new crops;
  2. The Energy sector, for example, tapping new energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal energy; and
  3. The Services sector, for example new types of tourism packages, as well as finance.

The first sub-topic will focus on the opportunities in research and development related to the emergence of new crops due to the changes to the ecosystem, caused for example, by climate change. The sub-topic may also explore initiatives in developing extreme weather-resistant crops and livestock. The second sub-topic will explore opportunities for developing technology to reduce harmful emissions as well as to improve energy efficiency and energy security. The third sub-topic will concentrate on initiatives that help SIDS develop comparative advantages in the services sector. The panel may also discuss cross-cutting issues such as the role of technology and human resource development.

The panel presentations will be followed by an interactive debate among the panelists and delegates.

Panelists:

Professor Anthony Clayton, Institute for Sustainable Development, University of the West Indies
Dr. Vasantha Chase, Chase Consulting Ltd.
Mr. Pierre Encontre, Special Programmes Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes, UNCTAD

Detailed Information
Date 20 July, 2010
Time 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Location ECOSOC Chamber, Temporary North Lawn Building (TNLB) at the United Nations
External Link

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