Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States - Small Island Developing States

“It’s for building the Vanuatu that we want”

HSASS — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 15:37:11 +0000

georgilla_and_anthea.jpg

Georgilla Worwor and Anthea Arukola are interviewed for the UN-OHRLLS Island Voices podcast

Virginia (Ginny) Stein

UN-OHRLLS has turned to audio to tell the stories of the lived experience of people living in small island developing States (SIDS) whose voices may otherwise go unheard.

The three-part series of Island Voices, recorded on the island nation of Vanuatu and released over the week leading into International Women’s Day 2021, delves into the challenges and aspirations of women pioneers fighting for gender equality across their society.

The stories are told by the protagonists themselves and are infused with sounds and music by local artists.

The first episode tells the story of how surfing unites a group of young women who are taking their long boards to the water, refusing to accept the idea that surfing is only for men.

Stephanie Mahuk, a lawyer and avid surfer recognizes the value of sports in elevating women across society. “If you get girls to participate in a sport that a majority of the time, in surfing, or in any other sport, is male dominated, that breaks the barriers for women’s rights and women’s recognition and setting up women to beat the expectation of men.” Vanuatu remains one of a handful of countries without any women in parliament.

Episode 2 delves into the experience of two generations of women activists aiming to make history in Vanuatuan politics. Georgilla Worwor, a law student and community activist reflects on what drew her to politics, “My political ambition grew out of what I saw in my community. Every time I go back to the island there’s a lack of basic facilities and services. To get to hospital we would have to trek a long way, up a steep hill through an overgrown path. And I thought to myself what are we doing, what have we been doing?”

Today, women are still in the minority across Vanuatu’s Police Department, but times are changing. When Sergeant Bianca Simeon joined the Vanuatu Police Maritime wing 11 years ago, she was their first woman recruit. Inspector Lili Joel is one of only two women superintendents, and Sera Bula Joseph is one of the rare women police engineers. In episode 3 of Island Voices, Sergeant Simeon and her colleagues describe the challenges they face, and the commitment needed to succeed in the Police Force.

Island Voices is hosted on the UN’s flagship podcast The Lid is On and is available across multiple platforms including Sound Cloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The podcast producer, mixer and sound engineer is Ginny Stein of Blue Sky Vision Vanuatu. The series’ executive producers at UN-OHRLLS are Damien Sass and Conor O’Loughlin.

The Island Voices podcast is part of UN-OHRLLS’ Island Voices campaign funded by the Government of the Netherlands.

Front Page Article:

Statement on the Ministerial Roundtable for National Energy Planning and Implementation for Fostering Energy Transition

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 20:20:00 +0000

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

19 January 2021
New York, USA

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to join your important discussion.

As we all know it is the small island developing states, the least developed countries and the landlocked developing countries are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The irony is of course that they have least contributed to greenhouse gas concentrations.

And notwithstanding their many challenges, they are also at the forefront of climate action.

This was again demonstrated during the Secretary-General’s Summit on Climate Change .

The SIDS and the LDCs made commitments to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

UN-OHRLLS together with UNDP and �山��Energy support the implementation of these initiatives.

Some of you have heard me say this before but I cannot stress enough how acceleration of the SDG 7 achievement in alignment with SDG 13 on climate change and the Paris Agreement is a top priority for my office.

UN-OHRLLS is committed to mobilize resources and build partnerships to give a helping hand to energy transition in the most vulnerable countries.

Allow me to share one example.

In 2019, together with the Government of Malawi and the Rocky Mountain Institute, OHRLLS launched a study which shows how through whole-system energy investment planning countries such as Malawi can achieve SDG through the use of abundant renewable resources.

The study identifies least-cost pathways for developing this infrastructure. It shows how US$3 billion of investment, from a range of sources, can make this possible.

We now work with the �山��Office in Malawi to support the government to implement the recommendations of this study.

The effort was well received, and we are now looking to scale up this study to cover the LDC group as a whole.

Our aim is to develop broad policy recommendations and advocacy tools so that other countries can benefit from the experiences and approaches adopted in Malawi.

Quite importantly, all this will feed into the thematic preparations for the upcoming LDC5 Conference in Qatar, Doha in January 2022.

The Conference is a strategic opportunity to place sustainable energy as a thematic priority for a new 10-year programme for the LDCs.

I can already share with you that the private sector track of the LDC5 Conference will have dedicated sessions on Energy and Climate Change.

The goal is to generate new partnerships to support energy transition and climate action in the LDCs.

If we want to be successful, we must engage with all stakeholders in this important process.

You state that a global energy transition is underway.

Unfortunately, the most vulnerable countries to date rarely benefit from the ongoing large-scale investments. Progress remains largely concentrated in the more advanced developing and middle-income countries.

So, we really must do more because there is a tremendous growth potential in the energy sector in the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. Their endowments with natural resources such as solar, hydro, geothermal and wind are tremendous.

What is now required is a radical change of pace, massive investments in the energy sector and capacity building over the next few years.

Let me add that in the context of COVID recovery, there is great opportunity for governments to center recovery plans on energy transition. We all know how energy transition is a conduit for poverty alleviation, increasing resilience of healthcare systems including in fighting this and future pandemics and to build back better.

It is now that countries need strong support from the international community.

We must be there to improve access to finance, build capacity and assist developers in the preparation of bankable renewable energy projects.

Urgent action is also required to strengthen or develop enabling environments and institutional frameworks.

I think these are all actions that can help to further expand and deepen initiatives such as IRENA’s SIDS Lighthouse Initiative.

IRENA is indeed a key partner in enhancing support to the most vulnerable countries.

Building on our strong collaboration, IRENA and UN-OHRLLS signed a Memorandum of Understanding on areas of cooperation focusing on energy connectivity, supporting NDCs, just transition and harnessing energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs over the next few years.

For example, IRENA and OHRLLS partner to prepare a report to be launched this year on Scaling Up Renewables in LLDCs.

As I mentioned earlier, we reach out to stakeholders from the international community and the public and private sector to contribute to the LDC5 conference in January 2022 and to make concrete announcements on energy and climate change.

UN-OHRLLS together with our partners, are committed to make the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS an integral part of the global energy transition that is underway.

Front Page Article:

Building Blue Economy Partnerships and Pandemic Recovery in Small Island Developing States

HSASS — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 05:01:00 +0000

fololina_avia_received_help_through_the_small_business_development_project_to_expand_her_lady_edwina_fishing_company_and_stall_at_the_apia_fish_market._asian_development_bank.jpg

Fololina Avia received help through the Small Business Development Project to expand her Lady Edwina fishing company and stall at the Apia fish market.

Asian Development Bank

NEW YORK- 11 December 2020 – A virtual webinar on partnership opportunities for sustainable blue economy transition and pandemic recovery in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was organized by the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) in cooperation with the World Ocean Council.

The dialogue focused on how ocean partnerships could be used to integrate our oceans as part of the sustainable blue economy. Oceans play a strategic role as they not only feed the SIDS but also the global community. However, sectors dependent on oceans have been severely impacted with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussants shared their experiences and ongoing projects in the blue economy particularly in sectors like sustainable tourism, aquaculture and renewable energy.

In her opening remarks, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, stressed that ocean business partnerships are important as part of the sustainable development path of SIDS as laid out in the SAMOA Pathway. This is because SIDS are bearing the adverse impacts of overfishing, pollution and climate change which has further been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, SIDS are experiencing a drastic fall in revenues from sectors like tourism and fisheries which is consequently affecting the livelihoods of their populations.

There was a common agreement that ocean business partnerships are crucial and should include governments, financial institutions as well as the private sector. The SIDS Partnership Framework and the UN-OHRLLS SIDS Global Business Network (GBN) were cited as important examples of platforms that encourage private sector participation in the ocean sector.

The SIDS GBN focuses on several thematic areas like disaster risk reduction, fisheries and marine resources, renewable energy and sustainable tourism. The SIDS GBN Forum will tentatively take place at the Our Ocean Conference in Palau in 2021, with webinars and events to foster partnerships for SIDS leading up to the Forum. The first webinar will focus on Ocean Energy and be organized together with IRENA in the first quarter of 2021.

A panel discussion during the dialogue discussed a number of existing projects already being undertaken across SIDS as part of the transition towards the sustainable blue economy and it included desalination projects in Cabo Verde, promotion of sustainable tourism in the Caribbean region as well as renewable energy projects like the production of electricity from tidal waves. Aquaculture was also deemed as another promising sector for SIDS particularly the cultivation of seaweeds which contributes towards ocean sustainability.

Participants also widely acknowledged that since ocean use is growing at a very fast pace, the challenges facing the blue economy are cross-cutting across various sectors like shipping, aquaculture and tourism. These challenges include (i) conservation of marine biodiversity, (ii) ensuring food security, (iii) reduction in anthropogenic impacts as well as (iv) addressing climate change and disaster risk reduction.

The takeaways from the meeting included the need to form partnerships and share knowledge across islands as they face similar challenges regarding the ocean economy. It was also considered crucial to involve all stakeholders namely the government, private sector, academia as well as NGOs in ocean partnerships. The forthcoming 2nd �山��Oceans Conference and the launch of the �山��Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development were also welcomed as important milestones in advancing partnership opportunities in the blue economy.

Front Page Article:

Fostering Innovative Ocean Science Partnerships for Small Island Developing States in the Ocean Decade

HSASS — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 22:14:00 +0000

Palau; aerial view of islands in the Palau archipelago

Pablo Marx, Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://bit.ly/3qn2IQL

NEW YORK/PARIS- 07 December 2020 - A virtual dialogue on fostering innovative ocean science partnerships for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was jointly organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), UNESCO's Natural Sciences Department and the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).

The dialogue focused on innovative partnerships on ocean science for SIDS at the regional and global level. Discussants explored opportunities to accelerate ocean science including the mapping of continental shelves and coastlines, predicting sea-level rise and surveying coral reefs among which are essential to secure Loss and Damage compensation through the Paris Climate Framework.

In her opening remarks, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, stressed that ocean science and SIDS’ sustainable development are inseparable and that ocean science provides the bedrock for SIDS to demonstrate their need for climate and development funding particularly in international negotiations.

A panel discussion during the dialogue discussed a number of existing partnerships that could be leveraged and built upon including the SIDS Partnership Framework and the SIDS Global Business Network. Other notable examples include the Micronesia Challenge, the Caribbean Challenge Initiative and the Local2030 Islands Network launched by the Global Islands Partnerships.

There was a common agreement that SIDS need to be active participants and solution providers in the Ocean Decade and that formation of triangular partnerships for data and knowledge generation and sharing, among themselves and beyond should be encouraged. In addition, participants stressed how crucial the involvement of indigenous people and local communities is for the success of partnerships in the Ocean Decade.

For SIDS to achieve the Ocean Decade, multiple challenges will need to be addressed. In particular, SIDS consistently lack essential ocean data and research capabilities as they are often constrained by funding, the lack of technical capacity, inability to retain trained individuals as well as the high costs of research equipment and infrastructure.

The strategic role of UNESCO in coordinating and promoting the Ocean Decade, as well as other related SIDS issues in the field of science, was also emphasized, including IOC's coordination role for the Ocean Decade as presented by Dr. Vladimir Ryabinin, UNESCO Assistant Director-General and Executive Secretary of IOC.

In addition, Ms. Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, elaborated on the launch of a new initiative called freshwater Island Resilience, put in place by the intergovernmental hydrological program, to tackle water shortages on islands. The possibility of the extension of the Man and the Biosphere Programme across all island states was also announced. It was stressed that necessary support should be provided in the areas of science, technology and innovation (STI) and Ocean literacy for the understanding of the livelihoods that oceans provide, thematic areas that are of importance to SIDS and to be considered in the Decade’s framework.

In his closing remarks, the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations, Dr Satyendra Prasad encouraged the inclusion of ocean science in the reporting of the Sustainable Development Goals through the Voluntary National Review Reports (VNRs) of SIDS and also during the review of the SAMOA Pathway. He also highlighted the importance of forming transformative partnerships to promote ocean science.
SIDS unique dependence on the ocean cuts across the three pillars of sustainable development, namely economy, society and environment. The combined surface area of SIDS amounts to 140 million square kilometres which represents around one quarter of the world’s economic exclusive zone thus, making them important stakeholders in ocean management. Furthermore, they are also more prone to natural hazards like hurricanes which result in heavy human casualty and economic losses.

The Ocean Decade will harness and stimulate innovative ocean research and strengthen the multi-stakeholder cooperation needed to develop the science we need for the ocean we want. Recognizing how central SIDS’ relationship with the ocean is at all levels and being custodians of large marine spaces, it gives them an important role both as active contributors and beneficiaries in the Ocean Decade.
SIDS are priority areas in the context of the Ocean Decade officially starting in January 2021. This was a first of many dialogues for the SIDS to foster active engagement in the Ocean Decade, both contributors and beneficiaries, and they are empowered in their role as custodians of large marine spaces.

The programme, the presentation and recording can be accessed through the Ocean Decade website.

Front Page Article:

Small Island Developing States Call for Enhanced Support for a Resilient Post COVID-19 Recovery

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 18:21:00 +0000

haiti_karen_kasmauski_mcsp_and_jhpiego.jpg

Haitian patients arrive for regular check-ups and vaccinations. Due to COVID-19 they now might face disruptions to health services.

Karen Kasmauski, MCSP and Jhpiego

NEW YORK 20 and 21 October 2020 – Island leaders expressed concern about the widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on small island developing States (SIDS) in a joint roundtable organized by Belize, Fiji and the United Kingdom.

At the virtual meeting, island representatives called upon development partners to look beyond “one size fits all” solutions and to provide more tailor-made financial support to SIDS. They also reaffirmed the need for a collaborative effort between public, private creditors, International Financial Institutions as well SIDS in addressing the challenges posed by COVID-19 and climate change.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, H.E. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, emphasised the “importance of debt relief for vulnerable countries and the need to develop new flexible development finance instruments which will support responsible, resilient and inclusive growth.”

The meeting heard that SIDS are currently facing severe health, social, economic as well as environmental challenges, all exacerbated by COVID-19.

In her keynote address, �山��Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the �山��Sustainable Development Group, Amina J. Mohammed said “It is time for the international community to help SIDS in meeting their challenges as they deserve the future that they want as we look for the future that we want.”

H.E. Baroness Sugg, UK Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development, reaffirmed that "an ongoing collaborative effort is needed which must be sustained even after COVID-19."

Increased access to finance for SIDS was a key theme of the meeting and solutions put forward included additional grants, concessional loans with longer maturities, debt swaps, use of blended finance through increased public-private partnerships and the development of green and blue bond markets for SIDS.

Complex mechanisms and bureaucratic processes were identified as challenges for SIDS to access development finance from donors like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Adaptation Fund.

As one solution to this problem, a proposed Vulnerability Index was discussed, which would help codify the real-world vulnerabilities of SIDS and be used by bilateral and multilateral donors to assess SIDS’ eligibility for development finance.

SIDS noted the recent extension by the G-20 of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and the Sovereign Debt Restructuring Trust Fund by the IMF as potentially helpful in pandemic recovery and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. However, most SIDS are not actually eligible for the initiative.

United Nations High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa Utoikamanu, said that

“This unprecedented perfect storm should be met with unprecedented cooperation and development funds. However, despite available evidence of the need for support for vulnerable states, the necessary commitments by development partners are insufficient, in particular for SIDS.”

She concluded, “We need to focus our common efforts on practical and impactful solutions to not only keep SIDS afloat but also for the successful implementation of the SAMOA pathway, the Paris agreement and the flourishment of SIDS and their citizens.”

Front Page Article:

Statement at the Disaster Risk-Informed and Resilient COVID-19 Recovery Side Event

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:25:00 +0000

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

15 October 2020
New York, USA

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to join you at this Second Committee side event.

I thank Special Representative Mami Mizutori and team for her leadership on this event, as well as the ILO and �山��Women for their close partnership.

A critical topic brings us together.

As their United Nations High Representative, I once again must stress how the Least Developed countries, Landlocked developing countries and Small Island developing countries are among them most vulnerable nations of our shared planet.

Their peoples are disproportionately affected by climate change induced risks, by health risks and by the vagaries of the global economic and financial systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic shows all too vividly the manifold inequalities, the too many exclusions we must overcome if indeed we do not want to leave anyone behind and stay true to what we promise in Agenda 2030 and the Paris Climate Agreement.

What is the situation for the peoples of the countries OHRLLS advocates for?

Like everywhere else, we see the immediate physical health impacts.

That is the tip of the iceberg and it is of great concern that by now tourism, trade, remittances, all vital livelihood ingredients, have plummeted if not come to a standstill.

What does this mean? It means job losses, it means severe decline in government revenues, it means severe worsening of debt spirals that were already barely sustainable prior to the pandemic.

In short, lives AND livelihoods are threatened.

Just like elsewhere, lockdowns and closures have major negative psychological and social impacts.

Women, disabled people, poor people are disproportionately impacted.

Food insecurity is setting in, access to education given the poor connectivities is threatened and finding work hardly possible. Take this against a backdrop where there are hardly any social protection systems!

To add to this already vicious cycle, ever more frequent extreme weather events have brought further life threatening disruption – from Category-5 Tropical Cyclone Harold in the Pacific to the devastating floods in Bangladesh and Sudan.

This brings me to the Sendai Framework.

The framework gives us both, an approach and tools to safeguard against multiple catastrophes and building resilience at all levels.

Now is the time for renewed efforts and commitment to ensure that as many countries as possible can achieve Target E of the Sendai Framework to have national and local disaster risk reduction strategies in place.

Too much time has already elapsed and we must accelerate progress. To do so, capacity building and financial assistance are critical to support the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS in this important endeavour.

The LLDCs and SIDS concluded their mid-term reviews of their Programmes of Action respectively in September and December 2019. As I stated on other occasions, prior to the pandemic we could talk of a glass half full. By now, and in the immediate, we must ensure that the glass does stay half full and then we must together build!

An important opportunity is before us to just do that.

This is the Fifth �山��Conference on LDCs, to be held in Qatar in 2022.

The Conference itself, its preparatory process, offer enormous opportunities to craft a risk-informed development agenda and plan for the next 10-year Programme of Action for the LDCs.

I have every hope that today’s meeting will explore the immediate and medium-term measures that Governments can take to address the underlying social and economic drivers at the core of disaster risk.

We have the chance to hear from an array of academics and practitioners from diverse backgrounds and countries.

Standing still is not an option. We must find solutions to ensure we leave no one behind.

I look forward to the discussions and am confident that we will make progress in advancing the debate.

Thank you.

Front Page Article:

Disaster Risk-Informed and Resilient COVID-19 Recovery

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Thursday, 15 October 2020 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

At this year's General Assembly Second Committee side event, leading scientists and academics, policymakers, and disaster risk reduction practitioners will discuss how the application of the Sendai Framework in COVID-19 recovery and rehabilitation measures can change the trajectory of development from one that unintentionally creates risk to one that purposefully reduces risk and builds resilience for current and future generations.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is organizing a Virtual Side Event at the 75th Session of the General Assembly, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the High Representative for the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS (OHRLLS), and �山��Women. This side event will support countries in taking forward recent Second Committee decisions on a disaster risk-informed approach to sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs. As the end of 2020 is the deadline for Target E of the Sendai Framework, for countries to have national and local disaster risk reduction strategies in place, the event will be an opportunity to take stock of progress and encourage countries to use the development of national disaster risk reduction strategies to guide a resilient, risk-informed, and inclusive COVID-19 socio-economic recovery

The Fifth United Nations Conference on LDCs (LDC5), to be held in Qatar in 2022, and its preparatory process also provides an opportunity to address risk in a systemic manner over the next decade and beyond.

BACKGROUND

Today’s risk landscape is rapidly changing, and risk has become progressively more systemic. New interactions between environmental, economic, technological and biological risks are emerging in ways that were not anticipated. One hazard can trigger another with cascading impacts across systems and borders and devastating impacts on progress across the SDGs. However, policies, institutions and financing remain focused on preparing for and responding to disasters, rather than preventing the creation of risk and subsequent losses. To achieve the SDGs, current, emerging and future risks need to be considered in policy and investment decisions in all sectors.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis exemplify the systemic nature of risk and the potential for cascading impacts. COVID-19 has triggered an unprecedented social and economic catastrophe on a global scale. Decades of development progress have unraveled, and poverty and inequality, particularly gender inequality, have deepened. As a consequence, vulnerability and exposure to other hazards, including the intensifying climate crisis, have greatly increased with impacts foreseen long into the future.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the side event are to:

raise awareness that limited attention to risk reduction in sustainable development policy, including economic policy, and public and private investments is compromising the achievement of the SDGs;
encourage Member States and stakeholders to apply the Sendai Framework in COVID-19 response and socio-economic recovery and rehabilitation policies and strategies in order to embark on a risk-informed and sustainable trajectory moving forward; and
to share promising national experience in implementing the Sendai Framework and reducing disaster risk.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

What immediate and medium-term measures can Governments take to embark on a development trajectory that reduces rather than creates risk?
What are the challenges and obstacles to applying systemic understanding of risk in development policy and investments and what measures are needed to support the public and private sectors to overcome them?
What actions can Governments take to ensure that COVID-19 recovery and rehabilitation is disaster risk-informed, inclusive, gender responsive, and addresses the underlying social and economic drivers of disaster risk?
What type of regulations standards and legislation are need, including in the workplace, to reduce disaster risk?
How can Governments and the private sector better access existing financing and disaster risk information to ensure policies and investments are risk-informed?

DOCUMENTS

Background Materials

WATCH LIVE ON �山��WEB TV:

http://webtv.un.org/

More info: https://www.undrr.org/event/disaster-risk-informed-and-resilient-covid-19-recovery

tags:

Least Developed Countries

Landlocked Developing Countries

Small Island Developing States

SDGs

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Disaster Risk Reduction

Vulnerable Countries are not getting the support they need despite trillions being mobilized globally to tackle COVID-19

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 19:20:00 +0000

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COVID-19 is impacting the world’s Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States in unprecedented and disproportionate ways. 

UNOHRLLS

NEW YORK 8 October 2020 – The global response to COVID-19 has been estimated at US$20 trillion and growing. Meanwhile, a mere US$8.5 billion has been spent by international partners to support the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These countries, with a combined population of 1.1 billion, are facing the full force of the health and economic destruction from this pandemic, without the resources to recover.

“What is clear is that the support received by the most vulnerable countries, while useful and gratefully received, is not nearly on par with the challenges they face,” said Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, United Nations High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, whose office has recently released its findings on the COVID-19 impacts on these 91 vulnerable countries.

The global decline in demand for goods is severely impacting their economies, particularly for countries that depend on the export of manufactured goods. The crisis is also affecting remittances, which are projected to fall by more than 20 percent in the LDCs, representing the loss of a crucial lifeline for vulnerable households. Further, foreign direct investment to these countries is receding.

As High Representative ‘Utoikamanu notes: “Any global recovery will depend on how the weakest economies and health systems can cope with the pandemic. We need the same sense of urgency and ambition from the international community to support the most vulnerable countries, as is evident in the trillions of dollars that have been mobilized to shield advanced economies from the worst impacts of the pandemic.”

The vulnerabilities of the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS have been brought into stark relief as they attempt to save lives, shore up healthcare systems and cushion the economic and social consequences for millions of people, all while avoiding financial collapse. The three groups of vulnerable countries include some of the most indebted and poorest nations in the world. Hunger remains a critical challenge and has further deteriorated as a result of the pandemic. What’s more, many of these countries are on the wrong end of the digital divide, with the lowest rates of internet access and lacking in broad band capacities. Telecommuting and social distancing are not an option for many, and millions of children are not receiving an education since remote learning is unobtainable.

Tourism in small islands states has taken a major hit and their GDP will likely shrink by 4.7 percent this year, far more than the predicted global contraction of 3 percent. But several small island economies are expected to contract even more, perhaps as much as 8 percent. These countries are being battered by climate change and face high national debt levels; they are ill-equipped to face the economic and social devastation from COVID-19 on their own.

Earlier this year, LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS released statements stressing the scale of the pandemic’s impacts on their societies and economies and calling for greater solidarity and support from the international community.

The findings of the UN-OHRLLS analysis were announced today through the Office’s ‘COVID-19, The Most Vulnerable 91’ campaign, to spotlight the scale of funding that has been made available to these 91 countries, and to make the case for more urgent and ambitious support given their vulnerabilities.

To learn more click here.

Front Page Article:

Human Rights Council 2020 Social Forum: "Climate Change, Poverty and Inequality Among Countries"

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 17:21:00 +0000

Thursday, 08 October 2020 - 4:00am to Friday, 09 October 2020 - 12:00pm

Good Practices, Success Stories, Lessons Learned and Current Challenges in Combating Poverty and Inequalities

The Social Forum is an annual meeting convened by the Human Rights Council. It is defined as a unique space for open and interactive dialogue between civil society actors, representatives of Member States, and intergovernmental organizations, on a theme chosen by the Council each year.

In setting the theme and focus of discussion for each Forum, the Human Rights Council underlines the importance of coordinated efforts at national, regional and international levels for the promotion of social cohesion based on the principles of social justice, equity and solidarity as well as of addressing the social dimension and challenges of the on-going globalization process.

Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu delivered an address at the keynote Panel during the opening of the Human Rights Council 2020 Social Forum, on the topic “Climate Change, Poverty and Inequality Among Countries,” on 8 October 2020.

PARTICIPATION:

The Social Forum is open to representatives of United Nations Member States and all other interested stakeholders including intergovernmental organizations, different components of the United Nations system, representatives of the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, and representatives of other non-governmental organizations

REGISTER:

The 2020 Social Forum will take place from 8-9 October 2020, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and also online.

https://indico.un.org/event/20111/

DOCUMENTS

Background Materials

Programme

Photo: Communities in São Tomé and Príncipe work together to improve the management of the Provaz River catchment and to secure the water supply in the future. IWRM AIO SIDS

tags:

Least Developed Countries

Small Island Developing States

Landlocked Developing Countries

Categories:

Video Statement at at the Human Rights Council 2020 Social Forum: "Climate Change, Poverty and Inequality Among Countries"

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 14:43:00 +0000

Statement by Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa‘Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

8 October 2020
Geneva, Switzerland

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Greetings.

It is an honour to join you.

The topic of your meeting lies at the heart of the lives and futures of the people in the 91 countries OHRLLS advocates for.

These are the least developed countries, the landlocked developing countries and small island developing countries, with roughly one billion persons and most at risk of being left behind.

This risk has deepened and accelerated in 2020.

None of us may have anticipated how 2020 would turn out to be a disruptor, a game changer.

It is now up to us, individually and collectively, to heed the warnings and to ACT.

It would be at our collective peril to once more ignore the warnings!

I come from the world of small and remote island nations.

In the Pacific languages, you find a wording called Malama Honua.

Malama Honua means to take care of and protect everything that makes up our world: land, oceans, living beings, our cultures and our communities.

It is about symbiosis, togetherness, dignity and respect.

In the same vein, climate change, poverty, inequality are not separate, neatly isolated issues.

They go together, they are part and parcel of a symbiotic system where our values are the dividing line between including or excluding people.

The current pandemic shows vividly how inequality, how poverty, how exposure to climate change impacts make or break how each individual, community, nation and region faces this major life and livelihoods challenge.

They are issues at the very core of the Universal Déclaration of Human Rights.

Already prior to the pandemic, we knew that climate change was accelerating, poverty growing and inequalities within and across nations growing at rapid speeds.

Now, we are in the midst of an unprecedented global economic and social disruptions worsening poverty and inequalities coupled with the relentlessly worsening diverse climate change impacts.

The peoples of the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS are among those most seriously affected.

Tourism, trade and remittances have beyond plummeted in these nations.

An already unsustainable debt situation continues to accelerate as revenue earning activities are at a standstill, major job losses have occurred and this means a corresponding decline in government revenues.

Formal safety nets, social security packages rarely exist. Family, community and remittances tended to be the “safety net” but these truly vital support pillars also are disrupted.

Given the situation, there is limited scope in governments’ fiscal space to extend safety net packages.

Food insecurity is on the rise. The lockdown and closures have triggered major social disruptions and notably in the education sectors and access to basic connectivities. At this stage, we do not even know what this may mean for social stability and for security.

Add to this an accelerated series of extreme weather events like the Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Harold in the Pacific or the devastating floods experienced in Bangladesh and Sudan.

People and their governments are faced with a highly complex challenge in terms of policy choices to be made and capacity to deliver short- term relief that must dovetail with measures for an inclusive and sustainable recovery.

The starting point is that these vulnerable countries have the lowest capacities to adapt and are also the most susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change.

The SIDS, for example, account for two thirds of the countries with the highest relative annual disaster losses.

Add weak health systems and overall weak health status, disproportionately affecting poor people, add limited access to modern education, and it is hard to see how to break the poverty spiral.

We once talked about eradicating poverty but studies now estimate that 70-100 million people will be pushed into extreme poverty as a result of COVID-19 and that inequalities within and across countries will accelerate.

This year’s Sustainable Development Goals Report found that the pandemic is reversing decades of progress on poverty, healthcare and education, especially for the most vulnerable, and has left them further behind.

We know that we are a long way from living up to the values enshrined in the Universal Déclaration of Human Rights.

Our challenge, our question has to be, what to do?

Allow me to share my thoughts on four key areas of immediate action to serve the people of the most vulnerable countries.

First, the pandemic should not be an excuse to divert our efforts away from addressing climate change. There is no way we can build back in inclusive and sustainable ways if we drop the momentum for ambitious climate action in the updated Nationally Determined Contributions.

Yes, there are justified short- term, immediate relief demands on budgets, but collectively we must honour the Paris Agreement.

We must maintain and even scale-up funding and we must make funding more easily accessible to the most vulnerable nations.

All stimulus packages ought to be able to answer three very basic questions: how they help people to live in safe and healthy environments, help lift them out of poverty and how they contribute to reducing unsustainable inequalities.

Secondly, this implies that we look into long-term and sustainable solutions to what is now an escalating debt crisis.

At last week’s High-level meeting on Financing for Development in the era of COVID19, calls were made to extend and expand the Debt Service Suspension Initiative.

A call was made to go further towards debt restructuring and debt workout, for example by introducing a new global debt relief initiative for LDCs. Calls were also made to provide additional liquidity through Special Drawing Rights, and to increase support through international financial institutions.

It is a good first step, but it is now that we need a longer-term fundamental review on what has to be done so that countries , and above all their peoples, emerge sustainably from the trap in which they find themselves.

Third, we need support for stimulus.

The stimulus packages for the G20 run from 5-20% of GDP.

LDCs, LLLDCs and SIDS have only been able to direct a small fraction of their GDP towards stimulus, if at all.

The share of international support going to these countries is relatively low. Without assistance, the impact on fragile health situations, loss of employment and livelihoods will deepen extreme poverty and amplify inequalities.

In short, we will have left people behind!

Fourth, we must listen to people and seek and encourage participation.

Yes, this is more than ever a moment for solidarity, a moment for cooperation. We also know, there is no one size fits all and we know it is change people own, making that change sustainable.

I could not agree more with the words of the High Commissioner and I quote “we must ensure that participation is not merely formal or tokenistic, but in fact truly meaningful and effective. It must therefore have an actual impact on decisions, and be timely and sustained. Crucially , participation must be inclusive, extending participation especially to marginalized and vulnerable groups.” ( end of quote )

It is my humble view that without seeking that participation, we will not be able to move forward in sustainable ways.

So, let us come together to move from words to action.

I thank you.

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