Addis Ababa, 30 January 2015 - UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner on Friday met presidents and foreign ministers from the Group of African Small Island Developing States on the side lines of the 24th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa to discuss how UNEP can support their sustainable development aspirations.
Accelerating climate change is a global threat, but for many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) the challenges are more dramatic because of their size, isolation, exposure to natural hazards and other factors. This makes them vulnerable to climate change and brings issues in terms of access to water, food security and energy.
At the meeting - attended by the President of Comoros Ikililou Dhoinine, President of Cape Verde Jorge Carlos Fonseca and Vice President of Seychelles Danny Faure - the group briefed Mr Steiner on the special vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the need for innovation in areas such as renewables and financing. The Vice President of Seychelles also requested UNEP's assistance on the development of a "vulnerability index" to assess exactly how exposed SIDS are to the threat of climate change
Mr Steiner lauded the vision and leadership provided by the governments of SIDS in setting the environmental and sustainable development agenda, particularly when it comes to climate change. He then briefed the group on the proposed Africa 2020 Access to Renewables Initiative and outlined how UNEP stands ready to assist SIDS in developing their blue economies and oceans governance.
Also present at the meeting were the foreign ministers of Madagascar and Sao Tome and the ambassador of Mauritius.
