On 12-13 May 2025, over 50 representatives from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are gathering in Geneva for the first in-person ISLANDS Forum, aiming to strengthen efforts toward sound chemicals and waste management across these uniquely vulnerable nations.
In the wake of the 2025 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (2025 BRS COPs), the two-day forum opens dedicated space for SIDS to showcase emerging solutions and demonstrated strategies for targeted action on chemicals and waste.
The ISLANDS Forum will focus on priority areas crucial to SIDS: stronger legislation and regulation, technical solutions, private sector engagement and sustainable financing. Experts will share best practices for managing e-waste and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), controlling hazardous waste flows, and attracting private investment for long-term waste management solutions. It will foster relationship building, knowledge sharing, and peer learning across the global ISLANDS Programme. This collaborative approach drives scalable, sustainable outcomes, ensuring long-term impact in SIDS communities.
It will also host the annual ISLANDS Programme Coordination Group (PCG) Meeting and see the establishment of a Project Steering Committee (PSC) for the global Communications, Coordination and Knowledge Management (CCKM) Project, as recommended in the project’s Midterm Review.
A high-level panel discussion organised by the UNEP GEF Chemicals & Waste Unit will formally close the ISLANDS Forum. It will be broadcast live on UN Web TV and through the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) YouTube channel.
About ISLANDS
The Implementing Sustainable Low and Non-Chemical Development in Small Island Developing States (ISLANDS) Programme is a $515-million, five-year initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), supporting 33 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions to improve chemical and waste management in their territories. ISLANDS operates through six child projects and is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
